In the Spirit
by Super Chocolate Bear
Summary: Christmas time is approaching, and heroes in different places and times celebrate in their different ways.
1. Wearing the Costume

Disclaimer: I don't own Batman or any of the characters in the DC Universe.

_**In the Spirit**_

_**Wearing the Costume**_

"No."

"Oh, come on Bruce."

He looked at the boy wonder, trying to administer the Bat-glare. Unfortunately, Tim Drake was now immune to such things. Not that it ever worked on him anyway.

"No, Tim."

"Just for one patrol?"

"I said, 'no'."

"You really suck sometimes, you know that?" he said, jutting out his bottom lip as they descended down the stairs, heading for the Batcave. Bruce allowed a small smile to cross his face.

"When have I not sucked?" he asked, curious as to when Tim had deemed him acceptable.

"I'll tell you if-"

"No."

They reached the glass cabinets that contained their costumes, and began to suit up. They both undressed until they were both stood in their boxer shorts.

"I bet you'd do it if Wonder Woman asked you."

"Wonder Woman wouldn't ask me," Bruce said, reaching in and taking out his leggings. Tim did the same and smiled wickedly.

"What if Barbara asked you?"

Bruce paused for a moment and looked at him, an eyebrow raised. "Why would that make a difference?"

Tim smirked and shrugged. "No reason," he said nonchalantly.

Bruce thinned his eyes and resumed his suiting up, reaching over and grabbing his top. "Why are you so obsessed, anyway?"

"Because it's such a good idea! The criminals of Gotham City won't know what hit them! It's a great ploy to distract them!"

"By making them think I've gone insane?" Bruce said, reaching in to the cabinet and pulling out his boots.

"Exactly. You'll scare them so much they won't have a chance to move."

"Somehow I don't think Bane or Scarecrow would be too frightened."

Tim looked up at him and scowled. "Fine, whatever. I'll wear it."

"No, you won't."

"Yes I will."

"No you won't."

"Yes, I will."

"No, y-," Bruce stopped himself before the argument went any further. "This is pointless. You're not wearing it."

"Aw, c'mon. Your buddy Flash wears one!"

"All the more reason. And he's not my 'buddy'."

"I bet he'd be hurt to hear you say that," Tim said, smiling as he finished putting on his boots and moved on to his cape. Bruce was similarly progressing, adjusting his cape and cowl. "Y'know, Alfred would agree with me if he was here."

"You're probably right," Bruce said, pulling out his utility belt and wrapping it around his waist. "But since when do I do what Alfred tells me?"

Tim nodded and put on his own utility belt. "Yeah, I guess. But come on! Could you just wear it once? We could both wear one! We'd be like the 'Christmas Avengers' or something," he said, reaching over and bringing out his mask. He placed it over his eyes and blinked a few times to let his eyes adjust. And so, Tim Drake was put to rest for the night, and Robin emerged. He looked up at Bruce, who pulled the cowl over, bringing about the visage of Batman. Tim smiled.

"Very nice."

Bruce didn't respond, he just started to walk over to the Batmobile. Tim tried to withhold his laughter, and ran to catch up. Bruce leapt into the driver's seat.

"Hey, can I drive this time?"

"No."

"Aw, c'mon. I never get to drive."

"Because you don't know how, and-," Bruce paused again, taking a deep breath. "I'm not doing this with you _again_. You're lucky I let you pilot the Batwing, so stop complaining."

Tim nodded, grumbling as he walked over to the Batmobile. "So, what's the problem this time? Mad Hatter? Joker? Riddler?"

Bruce punched a button, and the hatch slid shut on the Batmobile. "Neither. It's a hostage situation, and I thought they might appreciate our help."

Tim nodded. "Okay. Let's go."

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Batman and Robin burst through the air vent, and the man whirled on his heel, pointing his gun in their direction. He seemed ready to shoot, but suddenly looked very confused as he looked at Batman. Bruce, not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, darted forward, punching him out in an instant. A few minutes later, and the hostages were reunited with their friends and families, and the man was being taken away. Bruce emerged from the shadows behind Commissioner Gordon, who didn't need to turn around to know that his long time friend was there. Tim emerged with him, hoping to stop Gordon before he blew his little plan.

"Good work," he said, turning to face Bruce. His eyes twitched slightly in surprise, and Tim quickly put a finger to his lips. Fortunately, Gordon seemed to understand. "I trust you're going to have a rest around the holidays?" he said, a wry smile on his lips.

Bruce managed a smile back. "Of course."

And with that, they parted, going their separate ways. Tim was just glad that Bullock wasn't there; he would have ruined the whole plan as soon as he had seen Batman emerge from the shadows. He looked up at his partner.

"Can we go back now? I'm freezing my ass off here."

Bruce looked over at him. "You seem overly fond of that word lately."

"What? 'Ass'?"

Bruce nodded. "Nightwing used to use it a lot."

Tim shrugged. "Well, I have seen more of him lately." A gust of wind came through the alleyway, and Tim shivered in response, hugging his arms close to himself. "Can we _please _go back?"

Bruce smiled and nodded. Tim's plan was a success. Someone close to Batman had seen him, and that was all that Tim wanted.

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The Batmobile came to a halt in the Batcave, and Tim undid his seatbelt. As the hatch slid back, Alfred approached. Tim's eyes widened slightly as he thought that Alfred might squeal on him, but he didn't respond any differently than usual.

"It's good to see you back sir. I have Superman waiting for you on the visual feed."

_Holy crap… Superman?_

Tim couldn't have timed this better if he'd tried. Bruce jumped out of the car, and Tim followed suit, heading for the glass cabinet so he could get changed. Bruce pushed a button on the Bat computer, and Superman's face appeared on the screen. He immediately raised an eyebrow. Tim quickly jumped behind Bruce, putting a finger to his lips. Superman smiled, and Tim cursed how obvious the Big Blue Boy Scout was being.

"Having fun, Bruce?"

Bruce paused. "What is it?"

"We need you up at the Watchtower for a meeting."

Bruce nodded, and Tim tried to stop himself from laughing. Bruce glanced back in Tim's direction for a moment, before looking back at Superman.

"All right. I'm ready for transport."

And in a blue flash, Batman was gone. Superman smiled at Tim. "Whose idea was that?"

Tim patted his chest. "All mine, baby."

Superman grinned and pushed a button to cancel the transmission. Alfred walked over to Tim, holding some freshly ironed sleeping clothes for him to wear.

"Thanks Alfred."

"You're most welcome, Master Drake." He paused for a moment. "You know… Master Bruce doesn't approve of murder, Master Drake. But if he finds out, I do believe he will make an exception in your case."

Tim smiled, enjoying the warmth of the clothes as he finished getting dressed. "It was worth it."

Tim walked up the stairs with Alfred, a huge grin on his face.

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Later that night, Tim heard Batman transport back to the cave. And all he heard was a deadly silence, followed by a sudden crash as Bruce kicked something in anger.

Tim grinned wider.

For you see, Tim had adhered a Santa Claus hat to the top of Batman's cowl.

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(A/N: This will eventually cover the rest of the DCAU (including _Static Shock _and _The Zeta Project_), but I thought I'd start with Batman, since he's so much fun to humiliate.

So, what'd you think? Good? Bad? Review!)


	2. Something to Remember

Disclaimer: I don't own Justice League. WB does. And DC too.

(A/N: Bear in mind that I had the '_Superman: The Animated Series' _version of these characters in my mind when I wrote this, so picture Superman's _S: TAS _voice instead of his _JLU_ one. That new DVD box set better come out soon; I need my Superman fix, dammit.)

_**Something to Remember**_

As she sat back in her chair, legs and arms crossed, a glass of wine in her hand, Lois Lane thought about what could have happened to the great Perry White for him to soften up enough to have a Christmas party. What had surprised Lois more was the fact that he had actually allowed it to be hosted in the _Daily Planet_ building. You only ever used this building for newspaper work, or so Perry himself had said. She also wondered what was attracting so much attention over on Clark Kent's table. She smiled, thinking that it was odd that Clark Kent's desk would become the center of attention at a party. Most of the time, no-one ever noticed him, barring Lois, Jimmy and Perry. And even then, she didn't see him that often. It was like he had another life somewhere else or something.

But, he always managed to bring in good scoops, so Perry wasn't about to complain. Jimmy liked him because he actually listened to him and gave him _real _feedback on his pictures, not just _'that's nice Jimmy, go away now'_ feedback. And Lois… she liked him because he was a challenge. When she had first met him, she had thought that he was just some farm boy from the depths of Kansas. She quickly learnt that he shouldn't be underestimated, as he frequently beat her out of the by-line with stories about Superman. That just irked her more. That he somehow managed to find out all these great things about Superman, like his deal with Star labs a year ago, or his role in the making of the Justice League Metro Tower.

Bah. Superman just brought up other thoughts and feelings she didn't want to think about during Christmas. What was she thinking, trying to have a romantic relationship with him? And thinking it would work? She'd have been better off with Bruce. No. Strike that. She would _not _have been better off with Bruce. But she certainly wasn't well off with Superman. Sure, he was handsome and kind and strong… but that only went so far when you didn't even know his name, where he came from, who he grew up with. Oh sure, she knew the whole 'Last Son of Krypton' story, but she wanted to know which humans raised him. Who were his childhood friends? Where did he go to school?

Was he ever going to tell her? Or was he just going to keep on pretending like there was nothing wrong with their relationship? Lois groaned.

"Men," she muttered. Super or otherwise, they were all the same.

"Pardon?" a voice asked, and Lois heard the slightest hint of amusement in the voice. She looked up to see Clark Kent stood next to her, a slight smile on his face. She huffed and looked back at the rabble that were gathered around Kent's desk.

"I said, 'men'."

"What about them?" Kent asked, sitting down next to her.

"They're all the same, that's what."

"Ah," Kent said, smirking.

"'Ah'? What do you mean, 'Ah'?"

"You're just annoyed because no-one's paying attention to you."

"What? Shut up, Smallville." She raised her head slightly, half heartedly trying to see over the crowd and see what they were so fascinated by. There was a roar of approval from the rabble, and Lois brought her head back slightly in surprise. "What're they doing on your desk, anyway?"

"Drinking game. Perry's drinking them all under the table."

Lois nodded. "Ah, I see. And you're not over there, why?"

Kent shrugged. "I'm not really a drinker."

"Why am I not surprised?" Lois said, a smile on her lips. "Do you do anything that's bad for you, Smallville?"

Kent frowned slightly. "Why would I?"

Lois laughed and waved her hand. "Never mind."

There was another roar from the table.

Kent looked over at her. "And you? Why aren't you joining in? I bet you could give Perry a run for his money."

"Ah, so you're a betting man, are you Kent?"

Kent just smiled, and Lois couldn't help but do the same. Trust Clark 'Smallville' Kent to cheer her up. There was another roar from the table followed by laughter as a reporter, obviously having had his fill, ran to the bathroom.

"Next victim," Perry's voice said. There was a brief pause.

"Not you, Olsen."

Lois grinned. Was there anything that kid wouldn't try? He was promptly shoved from the group of reporters and other _Daily Planet_ employees. Upon seeing Lois and Kent, he waved and walked over.

"Hey guys."

"Jimmy," Kent said back, gesturing to the chair next to him. Jimmy sat down, and Lois offered a small wave.

"Hi, Jimmy. I thought you were out of town for the holidays?"

"I am. That is, I will be. I'm leaving tonight. I just thought I'd come in and say hi."

"And competing in a drinking game with Perry was just a part of this goodbye thing, right?"

Jimmy grinned and shrugged. "Hey, I've gotta keep trying. I'll be old enough someday." He stood up and shook hands with Kent, and then Lois.

Lois smiled. "I hope you have a good Christmas, Jimmy."

"You too, guys. Oh, and I'll send you those pictures in the mail, Clark."

Kent nodded. "Thanks a lot, Jimmy. I'll send you your present in the mail too."

Jimmy nodded and left with a smile plastered on his face. Lois looked over at Kent, and a quizzical eyebrow rose.

"Pictures? Of what?"

"Pictures of the _Planet_, of the people who work here, that sort of thing."

"What for?"

"I was going to give some to my parents. And besides, I realised that I didn't have any pictures of the _Planet_, so I asked Jimmy."

"Why would you want pictures of the _Planet_? For a scrapbook or… something?"

Kent remained silent, the only reaction a slightly sheepish look in his eyes as he avoided her gaze.

"God, Kent, you really are a sentimental one, aren't you?" she said, laughing slightly.

Kent smiled. "Well, I just thought… with all the alien attacks and supervillain problems that it'd be a good idea. In case something happened, I mean."

Lois looked at Kent with a slightly disbelieving expression, then shrugged nonchalantly. "Okay. Whatever floats your boat, Smallville."

They shared a comfortable silence until there was another roar from the huddle of men, and another contestant stumbled out.

"Next victim," Perry's voice called out. Lois looked over at Kent.

"Do you really want to stay for this?"

"Actually, I was planning on getting a bite to eat."

"Mind some company?" Lois asked, and Kent looked slightly shocked by the idea, but it faded quickly.

"Uh… yes, sure."

They picked up their coats and said their respective goodbyes. They stood in the elevator in silence, and waved goodbye to the janitor as they left, who apparently had also opted not to join in Perry's little game. They stepped outside, and Lois shivered as the night air assaulted her face. She looked over at Kent to find that it wasn't having any effect on him at all.

"Aren't you cold?"

Kent shrugged. "A little."

Lois shook her head. "You're very weird, Smallville."

Kent nodded, a smile on his face. "Thank you, Lois. Same to you."

She laughed slightly and kept on walking, Kent keeping up with her not inconsiderable pace. Aside from Superman, Clark Kent was pretty much the only person that could consistently keep up with her. Not even Lex could keep up with her for long, and she had always prided herself on that fact.

Somehow they ended up walking through the Metropolis Park, and Lois couldn't help but admire the huge Christmas tree that had been erected there. Kent gestured over to a hot dog stand.

"Come on," he said, nodding his head slightly in that direction. She raised an eyebrow incredulously.

"_This _is your big meal? A hot dog stand?"

"Trust me," he responded, a smile on his face that Lois could only describe as cocky. Admittedly curious, she followed. The man at the taco stand smiled upon seeing Kent.

"Clark! How are you? I haven't seen you around for a long time!"

"Sorry, Harvey. I've been pretty busy, what with everything the Justice League's been up to. The life of a newspaper reporter, and all that."

Harvey laughed and smiled. "The usual?"

Kent raised two fingers. "Two."

Harvey nodded and looked over at Lois, preparing the hot dogs with military precision and accuracy. "Who's this? Lois Lane?"

Lois looked over at Kent, who shrugged innocently. Harvey laughed.

"Don't worry; he hasn't been speaking about you behind your back. I just see your name in the newspaper. You compete with Clark here quite a bit for the front page, eh?"

Kent smiled. "I wouldn't exactly call it a competition."

"Why Smallville, that sounds like a surrender to me."

"Ha ha," Kent said, smiling as he paid Harvey for the hot dogs. Lois walked over and examined the hot dog.

"Everything on it. My favourite, too."

Kent shrugged. "I like to get as many flavours as possible."

Lois nodded, impressed. "That's the reason I like it." She reached over and smeared her hot dog with mustard, quickly followed by ketchup. Kent frowned slightly, as did Harvey.

"What? I like a lot of mustard and ketchup."

Kent and Harvey looked at each other and just laughed. Kent shook his head and put some mustard and ketchup on his own hot dog. Lois took a bite of hers and froze. Her eyes widened, and Kent frowned as he looked at her.

"Lois?"

Lois chewed and swallowed. "This… is incredible. Where'd you find this guy?" she said, taking another eager bite from her hot dog. Both Kent and Harvey laughed, amused by her gusto.

"Right here," Kent said, pointing to the ground beneath his feet.

"So this is why you're so big, Kent. And here I thought you went to the gym."

Harvey laughed heartily, but was interrupted by some new customers. Kent gave him a brief wave.

"I'll see you later, Harvey."

"Not too much later, eh?"

Kent grinned and walked away, and Lois gave an ecstatic 'mmm' noise with wide eyes as she looked at Harvey, before pointing at the hot dog and then giving Harvey a thumbs up. He returned the gesture, and Lois followed Kent to wherever he was going.

"So _this _is what you do when you disappear, Kent. I always thought you were actually out getting stories."

Kent smiled and took another bite. "Well, it's not as if you pose a real challenge or anything."

Lois looked over in disbelief at the smirk on Kent's face as he chewed on his hot dog. She punched him playfully in the arm, and they both laughed. They finished their delicious hot dogs slowly, talking about what they had been up to in the past year (Lois had no idea that Kent did so much outside of the _Daily Planet_). Eventually, they ended up walking by the Metropolis outdoor ice skating rink. They both stopped to watch all the couples romantically linking arms and gracefully traversing the ice. Lois looked over at Kent.

"Say, Kent… how's your balance?"

Kent looked at her, confused. His face slowly changed as he began to comprehend what she meant. "Oh, no. No, Lois. I'm absolutely awful."

Lois grinned evilly. "That's just what I wanted to hear."

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Why couldn't he have fallen for Lana? She adored him.

Why couldn't he have fallen for Diana? She respected him.

No, he had to fall for the incarnation of pure evil. 'Fall' being the operative word. He could fire lasers from his eyes. He could bench press a tank. He could fly. Why, then, couldn't he balance on an ice skating rink? What was so hard about it? Clark's legs again gave out beneath him as he edged forward, grasping desperately on to sideboards of the rink. Lois, meanwhile, was meandering around the middle of the rink, her hands behind her back, with a smug smirk spread across her face.

"Not much of a challenge, eh Smallville?"

Apparently the incarnation of pure evil was pretty good on the ice. He scowled and pulled himself to his feet again. Having achieved balance, he slowly let a proud smile of accomplishment grow on his face. Lois clapped sarcastically, and Clark slipped again, causing Lois to burst out laughing. She skated over to him and offered him her hand.

"Come on Smallville. I'll show you how it's done."

He paused reluctantly. Lois rolled her eyes.

"Don't get all 'male pride' on me, Smallville. I'm trying to help you here."

He sighed and took her hand. She pulled him to his feet, grasping on to his arms. "It's all those hot dogs, Kent," she said, lightly punching him in the stomach. He smiled, and Lois slowly skated round to his side.

"All right," she began, keeping one hand on his. "Just go forward. You can hold on to the sideboards if you want."

Clark grabbed on to the sideboards with his free hand. Lois nodded.

"All right, now… let's go. Slowly now, Smallville. Don't rush it."

Clark nodded and eased himself forward. And fell over instantly. Lois held back her laughter as Clark landed roughly on his behind. She waved her hand.

"Sorry," she said through her contained laughter. She took a deep breath, but the smile still remained. "Okay. Now grab on," she said, extending her hand. Clark grabbed on again, and smirked. He swept out his leg and knocked Lois off her feet. She fell with a yelp on her behind, and Clark made no effort to contain his laughter. She rubbed the bruised cheek with her hand, scowling at him.

"Very funny Kent. That's the last time I try to help you out."

Clark calmed himself. "I'm sorry. I couldn't resist." Lois looked at him irritably. "I'm sorry," he said, raising his arms in surrender. "I really think I'm getting this, though."

Lois glared at him a bit longer, then hauled herself to her feet. She sighed. "Okay, Smallville. But no more attacks, okay?"

"Deal."

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Who would've thought it? Clark Kent, her main rival at the _Daily Planet _and all round klutz… a good ice skater. Not great, mind you, but he was pretty good. She shook her head at the ridiculousness of it. She sniffled slightly, and a hand appeared in front of her with a tissue. She looked over with a half smile at Kent, who was holding out the tissue.

"Thank you," she said, taking the tissue and wiping her nose. She looked to her right and saw her apartment building. "Well, here we are."

They both walked to the entrance, and Kent turned to face her.

"Thank you for a nice night, Ms Lane. You were a bit abusive, but… you're a good teacher," he said, an ironic smile on his face.

Lois returned the smile. "Absolutely, Mr Kent. And you were a bit clumsy, but you're a good student."

Kent nodded, and his smile disappeared as something caught his eye. Lois followed his gaze to find some mistletoe hung from the doorway. The two colleagues looked at each other awkwardly, and laughed nervously.

"Well…" Lois said slowly. "It _is _Christmas tradition."

Kent blew out a breath. "Yes, I suppose it is."

And then the journey began. The journey from where she was stood to Kent's mouth. She felt excitement and nervousness rise up inside her, and she couldn't help but wonder why. She had kissed Superman passionately, for God's sake. Why would Clark Kent, the nerdy reporter from the _Planet _make her feel nervous? It was stupid was what it was. She should have kissed Kent by now and been on her way. But something was making her slow down.

Trying to savour the moment? No, _that_ would be stupid. Why would she savour kissing Kent?

Sure, he was attractive, and he obviously kept in shape, despite what she had said… and he was very charming and kind. But that didn't mean that she liked him in _that _way.

Did it?

Well, too late now. Here was the kiss.

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Clark wondered why he was so nervous. He had kissed her passionately as Superman, for God's sake. Why would he be nervous about kissing her as Clark Kent, the nerdy reporter from the _Planet_? He was feeling very stupid. He should have just kissed her quickly and be done with it. But something was making him slow down the kiss. Was he subconsciously trying to savour the moment? Now _that _was stupid. Why would he savour kissing Lois when he wasn't Superman?

There wasn't anything different about it, except for the fact that Lois thought she was kissing Clark Kent, and not Superman. Maybe that was the difference. She was kissing _him_, and not Superman.

In any case, it was too late now. Here was the kiss.

And it was a kiss to remember.

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(A/N: Ta da! Superman! I've been watching my copy of the first volume of the _Superman: TAS _DVDs recently (in fanboy preparation of the second volume coming out in December), so I really felt an urge to write this, like, now.

So? What'd you think? Review!)


	3. New Thoughts

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this fic; DC and WB do.

_**New Thoughts**_

Ro looked over at the 'man' walking next to her, and wondered what was going through his mind at that moment. She also wondered whether she should call it his mind or his central processor. He was always so unreadable to her, even in his moments of complete and utter sadness or joy, she could never be sure if he was totally sincere. As she grew to know him, she eventually got to the point where she could tell when something was bothering him. Which wasn't the case right now. In fact, he seemed almost… content. And that was what seemed strange to Ro. She had never seen that kind of smile on Zee's face before. One that was completely and totally at home.

He seemed comfortable in his own skin, and Ro had never seen him like that. He was always so unsure of what he was, of what his purpose was. Ro guessed that whatever his creator had said to him had obviously affected him. He seemed to move with a purpose now, as though he knew what he was doing with his life. Or more importantly, why. A frown crossed his holographic features, and Ro looked in the direction of whatever had him so perplexed. She smiled.

"It's a Christmas tree, Zee. All that stuff in that computerised brain of yours, and they didn't tell you what a Christmas tree was?"

"I know what they are, Ro," he responded calmly, "but I've never seen one."

Ro looked at the tree, and had to admit that it was a pretty impressive offering. It stood at least twenty feet high, the lights and decorations causing the night air around it to glow. She looked over at her friend.

"So… have you got me a present yet?"

"A present?"

Ro rolled her eyes. "Yes, Zee, a present. During Christmas time, you give your friends presents."

Zee seemed to mull this over. "Hmm… perhaps Batman would like one."

Ro huffed slightly. "Batman? What about-" she stopped short as she saw the smile on Zee's face. She let out a quirky smile of her own. "Since when did you get a sense of humour?"

Zee just smiled and looked at her. "What would you like?"

Ro smirked and shook her head. "Oh, no. It's not going to be _that _easy. You're gonna have to put some real thought into it."

Zee frowned slightly, looking worried. "Why? Have you got my present yet?"

"That's not the issue here."

Zee smiled. "No, then?"

"Like I said, that's not the issue here. Anyway, it just so happens that I need to go shopping on an unrelated matter, so you can get me my present then. Okay?"

Zee nodded. "Okay."

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As Zeta sat down at the table, he silently thanked whoever had invented the ASA (Automated Shopping Attendant). It allowed for twenty four hour shopping, and Zeta had needed every minute of it. Although, Ro obviously needed more. She had told him to wait in the food court once he had bought her present, and that she would meet him there. He also had to keep the present hidden from her until Christmas day, which was the 25th of December. Zeta had been curious about the origin of Christmas, and was not particularly surprised that it was a religious day. Zeta had found that most human celebrations (aside from being mostly random) were influenced by religion.

Although, Christmas had become much less about the religious aspect over the years, and more about simply being with your family and friends, being thankful for what you have. Though Zeta thought that was what Thanksgiving was about, but that was to do with native Indians and pilgrims. Zeta shook his head. Humans were very confusing. He looked down at the bag that rested against his chair, and wondered if Ro would like it. When he had asked the human shop attendant (which he had found surprising, considering the hour) what he could get for Ro, he had merely smiled and pointed him in the direction of the jewellery.

He had shown him a small locket that opened to reveal a picture of whomever you wished to put in there. Zeta thought that he would be able to find an image of them together in his databanks and use that. On the side that wasn't for the picture was an inscription that read:

_With you forever._

Zeta had initially thought it a good idea, but was now reconsidering having bought it. He looked up at the shop, and found that it had closed. It must be one of those old fashioned shops that refused to have ASA's. Zeta didn't wonder why. He was well aware of how much emotions could influence one's decisions. He looked at the bag again and would have sighed, if he were human.

_With you forever._

Could he be with Ro forever? His logical mind knew that it was impossible; assuming that he wasn't destroyed by Bennett or someone else, he would outlive Ro by many decades. The thought of that disturbed him. That he would suddenly be alone. He wasn't sure where he would find the will to run anymore. To begin with, he had been influenced by needing to find out about who and what he was, but now that he had found that (more or less)… Ro was his reason to go on. He wondered what humans would call this kind of attachment.

Love? That seemed right, but Zeta knew that there were different types of love, and the love that he felt for Ro… it wasn't romantic. He knew it wasn't. It wasn't quite a brotherly love either, as he had seen what that was like by seeing how Ro interacted with her brother. So, if it wasn't romantic love, and it wasn't brotherly love… then what was it? The love of a parent? Zeta shook his head. That was ridiculous. Whatever it was, it was definitely love of some kind.

Someone sat at the table with him, and he looked over with a smile, expecting to see Ro. Instead, he saw the face of Agent Bennett, looking at him through his green tinted visor.

"Hello, Zeta," he said, though there was no maliciousness in his voice. Zeta got up and was about to try and find Ro, when Bennett waved him down. "Please. I'm not here to try and capture you."

Zeta paused, unsure of what to do. "But Ro-"

"Is fine, I'm sure. Now please," he said, gesturing to the chair next to him. Zeta, wary of a trap, sat slowly, being careful to watch every one of Bennett's movements. Once he was sat down, Bennett smiled slightly. "There, we're fine."

"What do you want?" Zeta asked calmly. Bennett paused before responding, as though thinking about what he was going to say.

Taking a deep breath, he began. "I want to know what's going on," he said, pointing to Zeta's head, "in there."

Zeta tilted his head slightly as he frowned. "What?"

"Something is wrong with you, Zeta. Something up there. And I want to know what it is."

Zeta stood. "I'm going to go and find Ro."

"Now, there's something I'd like to know about; Ro. Why are you with her, Zeta? Was it some kind of ploy? To get our sympathy by going on the run with a young girl? Or maybe you just want her as a hostage in case worse comes to worse?"

Zeta turned to face Bennett. "I would never hurt Ro."

Bennett leaned closer. "What is she to you, Zeta? A friend? A sister? A…" he seemed to struggle with the words, "… lover?"

"I care about her. That's all that matters," immediately throwing his previous concerns out of the window with one sentence. He was mildly surprised by how quickly he had dismissed them, but he realised that it really was _that _simple. He cared for Ro; and that truly was all that mattered. It didn't matter what kind of love it was.

Bennett leaned back in his chair. "But how can you? How can you _care _about her? How can you _care _about anyone? You're a machine: a collection of circuit boards and memory chips and processors. You can't care about anyone."

Zeta shook his head. "No. I can, and I do. I'm not just a machine; not anymore."

Bennett stood, leaning over the table to look Zeta straight in the eye. "Then what _are _you, Zeta? A robot? A human being?" He paused as Zeta didn't respond. "What do you think you are?"

Zeta didn't speak for the longest time, his expression unreadable as he pondered his response. What _was _he? As he had said, he wasn't a robot anymore; he knew he wasn't. Physically, he may still be made of metal and dense poly-alloys, but beneath that… he was something else. But was he a human being? No, he wasn't. Nor did he have any wish to be. He looked Bennett in the eye, stood perfectly straight as he did so.

"Alive."

Bennett didn't respond, except for his eyes; something happened to them. Zeta couldn't tell what it meant, but there was a perceptible change in his eyes. He leant back and sat back down in his chair, and Zeta reached over to pick up Ro's Christmas present.

"Merry Christmas, Agent Bennett," he said, and then turned and walked away.

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Bennett watched Zeta go, and, hours later, he was still sat in the food court, thinking about what Zeta had said. Bennett had actually been here doing some last minute Christmas shopping, and had merely seen Zeta walking around with Ro. He still didn't know what had made him go and talk to him, and not report him in. He hadn't even considered taking out his communicator. Maybe it was what he had overheard in that undersea base. Maybe it was something else that had been subconsciously creeping into his mind for a while now. Whatever it was, it made him go and talk to the synthoid, rather than attacking him or trying to apprehend him.

And now he was left wondering what the meaning of his mission was. Could he continue hunting Zeta after what he had heard? After what Zeta had said to him?

But what was most worrying to Bennett was the fact that he had believed Zeta. He had believed him when he had said he was alive. He shook his head.

Zeta was alive.

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"So, I hope you got me a good present, because I got you a real doozy," Ro boasted, smirking as she did so.

Zee smiled. "I think you'll like it. I put a lot of thought into it, just as you said."

Ro nodded. "All right then." She stopped for a moment and frowned. "Uh, Zee?"

"Yes Ro?"

"You didn't spend _too _much on me, did you?"

Zee smiled. "I don't think so."

Ro nodded unsurely. "Okay. Because I didn't have a lot to spare, so… just bear that in mind."

"I will."

She walked alongside him, all worries banished from her mind. She just hoped that Zee liked red turtle neck sweaters.

"So, what'd you get for Batman?"

"I thought I'd get him a Santa Claus hat. He seems to have a sense of humour."

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(A/N: I haven't seen Zeta project in about six months, so if anybody's hideously out of character, tell me so.

So, what'd you think? Hallelujah? Or Humbug? Review!)


	4. Learning a Lesson

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this fic. They're all property of DC and WB.

_**In the Spirit**_

**_Learning a Lesson_**

Billy Batson looked down at the child on his lap, and smiled fondly as he felt like it was only a few years ago that he had come to visit Santa Claus. Of course, in his case, that actually _was _a few years ago. Because of the wizard Shazam, Billy could now become the superhero known to the world as Captain Marvel. All it took was one word, and that was it. He was an adult; a living breathing superhero, fighting injustice just like Superman.

The thought of Superman troubled Billy, in that he regretted how he had berated his hero. Even after what he had done, Billy still looked up to him. Still idolised him. How could he not? He was the world's greatest hero, bar none. Billy had seen the Man of Steel's public statement following the battle with Luthor and Brainiac, and had almost cried in sorrow when he announced the disbanding of the Justice League. Just as he had realised his mistake, he was pulling the whole thing apart?

And then, Green Arrow had made a heartfelt speech that almost made Billy cry with happiness and hope that Superman might reconsider. Then, the applause began. The wonderful, powerful applause. Even Billy started clapping, which had prompted some strange looks from the other children in the orphanage. But Billy didn't care. His hero, Superman was coming back. The Superman that gave him hope. The Superman that made him feel as though what he was doing as Captain Marvel was right. This was the Superman that had given him hope when he was living on the streets; the Superman that had made him create a living for himself and go to school, for the chance to one day go to Metropolis and meet his hero.

But that was then. Now, during the Christmas season, Billy was sat in the Fawcett City shopping mall, with a girl of about five or six sat on his lap staring up with complete and utter adoration. He smiled.

"Nice to meet you. What's your name?"

"Mary."

"Mary? That's nice. I'm Captain Marvel," he lowered his voice and put his hand on the other side of his mouth, as though he were letting Mary in on a big secret. "But you can call me Marvel," he whispered, and the girl grinned.

"So, what do you want for Christmas?"

"I want to fly."

Billy's smile widened. "I guess we could arrange that."

The child's eyes lit up with excitement.

"As long as it's all right with your parents," Billy added, looking over at the mother and father that were now nodding in approval. Billy smiled, amazed at how readily the people of this city trusted him. He stood, still holding the child to his chest. "Okay, now hold on."

The child gripped his neck tighter, and Billy rose off the ground. The girl looked down and gasped as they rose higher and higher. "You okay?" Billy asked, and the girl nodded.

"Can we go outside?"

"I don't think so, pretty lady. It's pretty cold out, and I'm not wrapped up for the weather," he said, a smile on his face. Mary looked slightly disappointed, but was still in awe of her current situation. Billy slowly lowered them down to the ground, and put Mary down on the ground, who ran to her parents, an excited grin on her face. Billy sat down in the chair again, and the next child landed violently on his lap. Billy let out a brief 'whoof' as he landed on him, and let out a pained smile.

"So… what's your name?"

"Billy."

Billy smiled. "Is that right? I know a Billy. Really good kid. So, Billy… what do you want for Christmas?"

"Fly!"

Billy grinned. He guessed he would just be doing this for the rest of his time here.

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After what felt like two hundred flying expeditions, the mall was closing. Billy couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He couldn't wait to go flying around in the open air. The security guard tipped his hat to him as he left, and Billy gave him a wave as he shot into the air, taking a deep breath through the grin on his face. Contrary to what he had told Mary, the cold didn't affect him whatsoever. It was a nice little side effect of the stamina that had been given to him from Atlas. He reached a point in the sky where he could look out across the whole city, and floated in the air.

He looked down over the peaceful city, wondering how it was ever dubbed a city. It was more akin to a country town than a city. He heard his cape fluttering slightly in the breeze, and he wondered whether Superman did this. Maybe he should go and visit Metropolis; try and patch things over with the Man of Steel. Billy grinned at his idea. It was the perfect time of year, too! He set off in the direction of Metropolis, looking down at the ground as it sped away beneath him. He passed over several cities and towns on his way to Metropolis, and stopped in shock as he saw something happening in one of them; down below him was a crime in progress.

He shot down into the city, and landed on ground level. It looked as though someone was trying to rob the Central City bank, and Billy remembered that a member of the Justice League lived in this city. He couldn't remember which one (he only really remembered details about Superman), but he couldn't help but wonder if he would meet him or her. He was knocked out of his thoughts as the bank robbers ran out of the front entrance, and they froze upon seeing him.

"Who the-?" one said, but he didn't get the chance to say anything more, as a scarlet blur knocked him clean out. The other three with him were about to do something when they were similarly knocked out. The scarlet blur stopped in front of Billy, sending a gush of wind in his direction. Before Billy stood the Flash, the Fastest Man Alive, an unsure frown on his face.

"Hey."

"Uh, hi," Billy responded.

"Aren't you that guy that Supes fought? Sergeant Happy or something?"

"Uh… it's… Captain Marvel, sir."

Flash snapped his fingers and nodded. "Right, right, Captain Marvel. You chewed us up pretty bad, if I remember right."

Billy frowned. "Yes, sir, I did. And I'm sorry about that."

Flash raised an eyebrow beneath his mask. "What's with all this 'sir' stuff?"

"Well… you're a member of the League and all, I just thought…"

"Well, cut it out, okay? I mean, you're the captain. I should be calling you sir."

Billy smiled, happy that the Flash wasn't going to get angry with him about the speech that he had given them all when last he saw them.

"So, what're you doing in Central?"

Billy rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Well, actually, I was on my way to Metropolis to talk to Superman, so I could apologise for what I said, and then I saw that there was bank robbery going on, so-"

"Woah guy, slow down," Flash said, putting his hands up in a mock surrender fashion. "Now, you're going to apologise to Supes for what?"

"For… fighting him and that big speech I gave him."

Flash shook his head and laughed quietly. "Buddy, you shouldn't apologise to him. _He _should apologise to _you_, and then thank you. If it wasn't for what you said, I doubt that he would've-"

He was cut off by the sound of approaching police sirens. He checked that the would-be bank robbers were well and truly unconscious, then turned back to Billy. "Anyway, we can talk about this later. You mind sticking around? I've got an appointment to keep, and it'd be great if you could come too."

"Um… well, I…" Billy didn't know how to respond. Was the Flash inviting him to a party or something? "…sure, okay," he said enthusiastically, wondering what kind of 'appointment' it was.

Flash nodded. "Cool. Just follow me," he said, quickly turning and speeding off down the street. Billy took to the air and pursued his fellow crime fighter.

Flash stopped in front of building and waited for Billy to catch up. Billy landed and looked up at the sign above the entrance:

_The Central City Homeless Shelter._

Flash looked over at him. "After you," he said, gesturing to the door. Billy accepted and walked ahead, albeit a bit hesitantly. Billy had never gone to a homeless shelter, either as his younger self or as Captain Marvel. He had avoided them as much as possible as a boy. If he was honest, he wasn't homeless for a particularly long time before he had found the orphanage.

It was slightly unnerving, but as long as the Flash was with him, he supposed it wouldn't be too bad. He opened the door and prepared himself for the noise. Except there wasn't any. There was a low murmuring, but most of what could be heard was the clink of spoons on soup bowls. The look of the room reminded Billy of his school lunch hall, with the tables all lined up next to one another, all of them packed to the point of collapsing. Flash whizzed over to the counter, saying his greetings to the staff, and Billy followed. He wasn't sure what he should do around them. Should he ignore them? Should he glance at them? He quickened his pace as he felt increasingly uncomfortable.

Flash was already behind the counter, tying the apron behind his back and putting the hairnet on his head. Billy couldn't help but smile at the image. Flash spotted him and frowned for a moment before looking up and quickly removing the hairnet with a sheepish grin.

"I keep forgetting about that," he offered, looking embarrassed. He tossed the hairnet and the apron over to Billy, and got to work as only he could. Billy followed suit, deciding to go slowly at first until he got used to pouring the soup into the bowls.

About two hours later, and Flash and Billy were sat on the floor of the kitchen, taking a well deserved break. Flash looked over at Billy.

"So, how's it feel to have made a big difference tonight?"

"Pretty good," Billy confessed, nodding. "But… is it that busy every night?"

Flash frowned. "Pretty much. I help out as much as I can, but… you've got to live your life, I guess. But this is the Christmas crowd. It gets pretty nasty out there, especially during the night."

"But… don't they go to the shelters?"

Flash shrugged. "Most of the time it's not enough. Central City has about eight homeless shelters spread around, but eight isn't that much in a city this size."

"So… why don't we get more?"

Flash let out a long sigh, as though he had answered this question a million times, and it was beginning to hurt him to think about it. "Don't ask me," he said quietly. A silence followed, and Billy had no wish to be the one to break it. Suddenly, Flash got to his feet and took off the apron, and Billy did the same.

"Well," he said, stretching, "it was really good to see you again, Captain. I'm glad that someone helped out." He extended his hand.

"Thanks," Billy said, shaking his hand. "Maybe I'll come back some other time."

Flash nodded, a slight smile on his face. "That'd be great."

They said their goodbyes to the staff, and they made their way to the door. Once outside, Flash turned to Billy.

"Y'know, if you want to talk to Supes, I bet he'll be up at the Watchtower now."

Billy smiled. "Would that be okay?"

Flash shrugged and grinned. "Sure. Anything for Captain Marvel," he said, saluting. He put his hand to his earpiece. "Hey, Mr Terrific, could you transport two up? I've got a guest."

Billy grinned as he was teleported up to the Watchtower. All in all, this had been a great day.

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Billy was feeling pretty good. It was about a week since he had first come here with the Flash, and he had come back every day since. Superman hadn't been available when he went up to the Watchtower, but somehow it didn't seem so important to him anymore. He would still get around to it, but he really felt like he was making a difference by coming here. Flash wasn't available today, though he had come on and off for the past few days.

During a break, Billy decided to mingle, hoping to get to know some of them. Most of them were more occupied with trying to sleep, so Billy left them alone. He was shocked at how many children were here, and wondered what kind of society lets people live like this. He felt a tugging on his cape, and looked down to see a boy no older than Mary. He smiled and knelt before the boy.

"Hi," he said, wondering if the boy knew who he was.

"Are you Superman?"

Billy smiled. "No. I'm Captain Marvel. Pleased to meet you," he said, extending his hand for a handshake. The boy slowly took it, and shook his hand gently.

"I'm Charlie. My mom always calls me Charles, but I don't like that name," he said, scrunching up his face. "I've never seen you here before."

"Well, Flash brought me here."

"Are you his friend?"

Billy smiled again. "I guess you could call me that. Do you like the Flash?"

The boy nodded, grinning. "He's really cool. He comes here all the time and gives us food all super fast!"

"He's a nice guy too, huh?"

"Yep. He said he'd bring Superman someday. But he's always really busy, Flash says."

Billy nodded and smiled. "Well, I'll see if I can bring him when I come next time."

The small boy nodded with a grin, his eyes wide with excitement. A woman walked over to them, and Billy looked up to see Charlie's mother looking down at him with a concerned look on his face.

"I'm sorry if he's any trouble," she said, an embarrassed smile on her features. Billy smiled and stood.

"It's okay. You've got a good boy there, ma'am."

She seemed slightly puzzled for a moment, then smiled and nodded. Billy extended his hand, and she looked down at it as though it were some foreign object. She took it and smiled.

"My name's Kate."

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Captain Marvel."

"Captain Marvel? So… are you with the Justice League?"

Billy rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, uh, no… not exactly. I'm just a friend of theirs."

"He says he's gonna bring Superman next time, mom," Charlie cut in, tugging at her mother's clothing. She looked up at him.

"You're bringing Superman? Flash says he's been trying, but Superman's too busy," she said, a hint of bitterness in her voice. Not enough to sour the conversation, but enough that Billy noticed it.

"I'm sure it's for a good reason, ma'am."

She looked puzzled again.

"Is something wrong?"

She shook herself out of her puzzled expression. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I said, 'is something wrong'? You looked a bit confused."

"Oh, it's nothing. It's just… not many people call me ma'am," she said, smiling nervously.

Billy frowned as he smiled, his face going slightly red. "Well, uh… that's just what you call ladies, isn't it?"

There was a long silence between the two, but fortunately, Charlie seemed determined to break it. "Where do you come from, Captain Marvel?"

Billy smiled politely and looked down at Charlie. "Pardon?"

"Well, Superman comes from Krypton, and Flash says he was struck by lightning, so… where do you come from?"

"Oh, you want to know where I got my powers."

Charlie nodded, and Kate seemed interested as well. Billy thought it over for a moment, and realised that there would be no harm in telling them, as long as he didn't name any names. Well, he guessed he could name Shazam, but that was about it. And so, he sat down with them and told them the story. About how his parents were murdered and his legal guardian abandoned him. About how he came across the cave that held the great wizard Shazam. And how he endowed him with magnificent powers to become the Earth's Mightiest Mortal (though he hated that nickname). They were both entranced through the entire story, as were several onlookers, who had become bored with trying to sleep.

Once he had finished, they all took a deep breath, as though it were the most enthralling thing they had heard in their entire lives. Billy had to admit, for so many people to think that you are this amazing person felt pretty good.

"Charlie!" a small voice rang out.

They looked over to see another boy of roughly the same age waving to Charlie. He looked at Kate hopefully, who just smiled and nodded. "Have fun." And with that, he was gone. Billy doubted that even the Flash could go as fast as that boy did at that moment. He looked over at Kate, who was still staring in the direction that Charlie had run.

"He's a great boy, ma'am."

"You don't have to call me that, you know," she said, laughing slightly. "My name's Kate."

"Uh… okay… um, Kate."

She nodded. "That's better. And yes, he is a great boy."

"How long has he…?"

She remained silent for a moment, still looking at her son. "All his life."

Billy didn't know what to say. He had at least known something about his parents before they were killed. He had known what it was like to live in a home. To have been born into this life… Billy wasn't about to say that he had had an easy life, but… it was a whole lot better than being born on the streets.

"And how long have you lived… uh… here?"

She sighed. "Pretty much all of his life."

"What happened?" Billy asked, and she looked over at him, as though judging the sincerity of his concern. All she saw in his eyes was an innocent kindliness, an urge to help as best he could. So she told him. About how the father had gotten fired as the baby was born. How he ran away from both her and their baby. How she was eventually evicted from her home and forced to live on the streets. About how she fought to keep her son.

"There was no way I was going to let some caretaker raise my son," she said, and Billy couldn't help but admire her.

"Kate, if you had superpowers, you'd be one heck of a superhero."

She smiled. "Coming from you, I'll take that as a compliment."

Billy grinned, and his watch alarm went off. He looked down and grimaced. "I'm sorry, but I've got to go. I'll see you the next time I'm here, I'm sure," he said to Kate, standing. She stood and smiled.

"Thank you."

He grinned back, not sure what she was thanking him for. "I hope I'll see you again. Do you come here often?"

She nodded. "I will now. Charlie seems to like you, so you can't be all that bad."

Charlie seemed to hear the mention of his name, and ran over to them.

"You're leaving?" he said, a pleading look in his eyes.

"I've got to, Charlie. But I'll see you next time. And I'll see if Superman can come too, huh?" he said, smiling at the boy. He beamed at Billy, and Billy slowly walked out, waving to the two as he left. As he took to the air, he noticed that it was snowing. And he couldn't help being filled with Christmas cheer.

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The next day, Billy arrived in time for the dinner rush. Billy walked in and smiled as he saw the Flash stood behind the counter, serving out soup at such speed that all he could see was a scarlet blur grabbing bowls. He walked to the counter, looking for Kate and Charlie as he did so. He couldn't see them anywhere. When he got behind the counter, he put on his apron and hairnet, and looked over at Flash.

"Hey, Flash?"

"Mmm?" he responded, still moving as a blur.

"Have you seen a woman and her boy? Her name's Kate? His name's Charlie, about six or seven years old?"

"Uh… no," he said, stopping to think about it briefly before going back to his soup. Billy paused for a moment, then shrugged. They must have gone to another shelter.

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The next day, Billy went to the shelter earlier than usual in hopes of seeing Kate and Charlie. They weren't there, but Billy got to work.

The next day, he went earlier still. They still weren't there.

He repeated this process for another few days before deciding to go and look for them. He checked the other homeless shelters in Central City, and even went to Keystone to check if they had somehow made the long trek over to Central's sister city. They weren't anywhere to be found. Billy had enlisted the help of the Flash in finding them, who had gladly helped, being familiar with the two himself. He didn't know them as well as Billy did (which wasn't that much) but he had talked to them before.

Flash had given Billy his old Teen Titans communicator, and set his Justice League earpiece so it would transmit on the old Titans frequency. Billy had been surprised at how brainy the Flash could be when he wanted to be. Flash had brushed it of, saying that he had seen Batman do it and just copied what he saw, but Billy was still impressed nonetheless.

Billy was flying over the east side of Central City, when his communicator began to beep. He grabbed it from his belt and brought it to his mouth.

"Have you found them?"

Flash sighed. "Marvel… I think you should, uh…"

"Have you found them!" he yelled, not caring about how rude he was being.

"I… yeah, I have… but they're…"

"They're what?"

"Just… get down here."

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"It was just too cold," the paramedic said, speaking to Flash and Billy, though Billy wasn't listening. He was just staring at the ambulances into which the body bags of his two friends were being loaded. The body bags of a mother and his child… a child that was seven years old.

_Seven years old…_

Flash had found them in an old car. They had been sleeping in it, using the heater of the car to keep themselves warm. The heater had given out, and…

Central City's winters were renowned as being some of the coldest in the country.

"I'm sorry," the paramedic said.

"How long?" Billy said, his eyes still on the ambulances.

"Sorry?"

"How long were they…?"

"It's hard to tell, but guessing… about a week."

Billy closed his eyes and took a deep breath. A week… about the same time he had just met them. They must have left that night and then…

He needed to get away. He couldn't deal with this. He just… had to go. He sprang from the ground, flinging himself into the air. He heard the Flash calling to him, but he didn't acknowledge him. He just couldn't be there right now. He needed to go somewhere else. He landed on a cliff side that overlooked the city, and huddled into a ball.

The tears welled up in his eyes and flowed freely down his cheeks.

And for the first time since he became Captain Marvel, Billy Batson felt cold.

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Billy had watched the sun go down, and had sat in complete darkness for a few hours before he heard the noise of incoming footsteps at high speed. He looked to his left and saw the Flash shooting towards him. He slowed as he approached until he was walking towards him. He sat down next to Billy, and curled up into a ball in a similar fashion.

"Aren't you cold?" he asked quietly, shivering slightly. Billy shook his head dumbly, not wanting to look at the superhero.

A silence fell between them. "Superman told me," he said finally, and Billy still didn't look at him.

"Told you what?"

"That you're a kid. I'm sorry; if I'd known, I'd never have taken you there."

"Why not?"

"Because… you're just a kid. You shouldn't have to know about this stuff."

Billy was silent for a moment. "Charlie had to," he said quietly.

Flash paused before responding. "Yeah. I know."

Billy looked up at the stars, and found that they were blocked by clouds. He could just barely see the moon through the mist. "How does it happen?" He turned towards the scarlet speedster. "How do women and children end up on the streets, freezing to death in cars?" He turned back to the moon, and let out a long breath. "How do we _let _that happen?"

Flash frowned sadly beneath his mask. "I wish I could tell you. I wish I knew."

"But… we're superheroes. We're supposed to know. We're supposed to be able to stop this from happening. 'When we're on the job'…" he said, quoting an old superhero quote he had read somewhere.

"…'you're always safe'," Flash finished. Billy looked over at him, and Flash shrugged, sighing as he did so. "We just have to do what we can. When people need help… that's what we do."

Billy looked out over the city, the lights twinkling against the black sky.

"It's something you shouldn't have had to learn yet. I'm sorry."

Billy nodded slowly. Flash stood and dusted himself off. "Are you coming?"

Billy slowly looked over at him, and saw that the superhero had his hand held out to him. Billy looked back over the city.

"No thanks. I… just need to be alone."

Flash paused for an instant, then withdrew the hand. He nodded silently, and then turned.

"I hope I'll see you at the shelter again."

Billy didn't respond, and a look of sadness crossed the speedster's face. He sped away, and Billy heard his cape flutter in the wind. He didn't know how long he simply sat there on the cliff side, staring out at the moon before he responded.

"Every day."

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(A/N: Not exactly Christmas cheer, but it's a part of the time of year that people like to either deny or ignore, and I always thought that one of the strengths of the animated DC universe (especially JLU) was to deal with things happening in the real world in an indirect way. This was a little more direct, but I hope that that helped you to get the message.

I'd also like to say that this story was influenced by the John Grisham novel, _'The Street Lawyer', _which made me all the more aware of the situation covered in this fic.

Also, please don't let the subject matter influence your review. If there was an aspect of this story you found questionable or downright bad, please just say so.

That being said, please review.)


	5. Just One Little Drink

Disclaimer: I don't own _Justice League _or any of the characters in this fic – WB and DC do.

_**In the Spirit**_

_**Just One Little Drink**_

Terry McGinnis stepped into the crowded club, and thinned his eyes as he tried vainly to spot Dana and Max. The old man hadn't been happy about his plan to have a yuletide night on the town, but Terry had never paid much attention to him when it came to teenage matters. _Especially _teenage matters that involved Dana in a particularly enticing Santa Claus themed outfit.

"Terry!"

The teenager turned his head to see said girlfriend waving to him from across the crowded dance floor. He smiled and waved back, trying his best to keep his eyes on her face as he approached.

"Hey Ter," Max said, giving him a little salute as he saw her. He nodded a greeting and wrapped his arms around Dana's waist.

"Hello, Mrs Claus. Is your husband around?"

Dana smiled, tucking some jet black hair behind her ear. "I think he's busy this time of year."

Terry leaned forward and kissed his girlfriend.

It was going to be good night.

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The communicator beeped, and Terry looked around in irritation for the source of the high pitched noise.

"What the hell…?" he managed, looking around the table for the noise. He looked over at Max and Dana, who had gone to get some more drinks. He grinned. Dana was so cute when she was tipsy. But he had made sure to limit himself.

He wasn't drunk.

No way.

"No way," he said loudly, shaking his head vehemently.

"'No way' what, Ter?" Max asked, sitting down next to him. She swayed slightly as she sat, reflecting her drunken state.

Terry grinned. "I said, there's no way that I'm drunk. Not like you, anyway."

Max looked incredibly offended, and slapped her chest with her hand. "_I_ am not drunk, Mr McGinnis. _You _are, and… and what's that beeping?"

Terry looked clueless for a moment, then remembered that something was beeping. "Oh yeah! There's something beeping."

"I _know_," Max said, shaking her head at him. "I want to know where it's coming from."

Terry waved a dismissive hand. "I'm sure it's nothing important. I'd remember what it was if it was."

"If it was what?"

"Important, stupid."

"Oh yeah. Right," Max said, nodding. She frowned. "Wait, I'm not stupid."

"Oh yeah? Well look who's Batman?"

Max put her finger to her lips as she giggled. "Quiet Ter! There are people who don't like Batman!"

Terry laughed and put his finger to his lips too. "Okay," he whispered. He thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers. "That's what it is!"

"What what is?"

"The beeping thing! It's the Batman… phone," he said, struggling for the right words.

Max giggled. "You mean…" she sniggered," the Bat-phone?"

Terry frowned. "Don't call it that. That makes it sound all stupid. I _am _Batman, you know. I could kick your butt if I wanted."

"Yeah, right."

"Yeah, right," Terry said challengingly. The beeping continued.

"You gonna answer that?" Max asked, pointing at the communicator.

Terry sighed. "I guess." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his communicator. He pushed the receive button.

"Yeah?"

"_Jewellery store robbery. Police are in pursuit. I'm sending the car, since you took so long answering."_

"Ah, shut up. It's very loud in here."

"_McGinnis? Are you all right?"_

Terry rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'll be there as soon as I can, okay?"

"McGinn-" Terry pushed the off button, cutting off his mentor in mid-sentence.

_Ooo, he won't like that._

_Shut up, Terry._

_Make me, Terry._

"Terry? What is it?" Max inquired, interrupting Terry's mental battle.

"Batman stuff. I gotta go."

"What? Now? But you're drunk."

"I am _so _not."

Max laughed. "You _so _are."

"Well so are you!"

"Yeah, but _I'm _not Batman!"

"Yeah, well… you're stupid. I'm outta here. Tell Dana I'll be back later, 'kay?"

He stood, and Max grabbed his arm. "No you don't, McGinnis. You're telling her, not me."

"Fine," Terry said, shaking his hand free of Max's grasp and sticking out his tongue. He walked over to Dana, who was still at the bar waiting for her drink.

_God, she looks so good tonight. Stupid Batman stuff!_

He leaned on the bar next to her. "Hey babe. Sorry, but I've gotta split. Old man Wayne stuff."

Her shoulders slumped. "Why am I not surprised?"

He raised his hands defensively. "I'll be back in like half an hour! I'll call you when I get back into the City, okay?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Just half an hour?"

"Just half an hour."

She smiled and nodded. "Okay, but hurry back, okay? Mr Claus could come back any time."

Terry smiled and kissed her goodbye before running out the club.

_She's so cute when she's tipsy. Batman sucks._

He turned the corner into a concealed alleyway and got changed into the costume beneath his clothing. After rolling his clothes up into a ball, he flew up into the air and landed on the roof of the building. He looked down at the buttons on his utility belt.

_Now which one calls the Bat… uh… car?_

He pushed one button, and something began flashing on his visual display.

_911 dialled_.

Terry pushed the button again rapidly, and the text disappeared. Terry let out a sigh of relief. He _didn't _need an angry Commissioner Gordon on his case. He pushed another button, and the words _homing signal activated _appeared on his visual display. He smiled and waited.

And waited.

He sat down, legs crossed, and rested his head on his hand.

"C'mon…"

He heard the whine of the Batmobile approaching and jumped to his feet. It hovered overhead and Terry jumped up. He reached out with his arms, grunting with effort. He fell to the ground unceremoniously on his behind, and winced in pain.

"Oww…" he muttered, rubbing the wounded muscle gingerly.

"What the…" he mumbled, trying to remember how to get into the Batmobile.

He snapped his fingers. He jumped and activated the rockets, shooting up into the opened hatch beneath the hovering vehicle. The hatch closed behind him, and his head slammed into the top of the cockpit. He yelped in pain.

_Rockets! Forgot to turn off the rockets._

Terry turned them off and landed on the chair. He let out a deep breath.

"Okay…" he said, rubbing his hand together before taking the controls. "Let's go." The Batmobile lurched forward, and Terry's head banged on the windshield in front of him.

"Ow! Stupid car…" he let out another deep breath. "Okay, let's try again…"

"_McGinnis?"_

Terry looked up in alarm. "Hello?"

"_McGinnis… what's wrong with you?"_

"Nothing! Just let me…" he struggled with the controls, and Batmobile launched ahead, "…get there and do my stuff."

There was a pause. _"I think you should head back, McGinnis."_

"Ah shaddup," Terry said quickly, terminating the connection. "Stupid old coot…"

_Half an hour. C'mon McGinnis, you can do this._

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Terry brought the Batmobile over the offending van, which was doing its best to swerve and dodge the following police vehicles. He opened the hatch and prepared to jump down.

_Woah… that van's really swerving… a lot. _

Terry was hit by a wave of dizziness.

_Ooo… that's not good._

He paused.

_Just do it. If you wait, they might get away._

_Good idea, Terry._

_Thank you, Terry._

Terry leapt down and landed on the floating van, using his claws to get a grip on the trailer. He slid back on the trailer, and, despite his best efforts, ended up dangling off the side of the trailer. In direct sight of the door mirrors of the van.

"Oh… crap!" Terry said loudly through gritted teeth.

_I know! I'll use the rockets!_

He activated the rockets and was thrust forward. Unfortunately, Terry's clawed hands were still embedded in the trailer, and Terry was sent flipping forward onto his back.

_Ow…_

He deactivated the rockets. The van trailer span slightly through his blurry vision, and Terry began to feel a bit queasy.

_I think I'll just crawl the rest of the way._

He began pulling himself towards the cab of the van only for a passenger of the cab to climb out and scramble to the top of the trailer. He pulled out a laser rifle and took aim. Terry's eyes widened slightly.

_Oh crap._

He fired, and Terry retracted his claws and jumped forward, avoiding the laser bolt. He threw a Batarang at the criminal, only for it get caught in the wind coming the other way, sending it back towards Terry. He landed and ducked the Batarang. He turned back to look at the Batarang as it flew away.

_Ah, crap._

He turned to see the criminal slamming his rifle into his face. Terry reeled from the blow, and turned back to see him taking aim with his rifle once again. Terry kicked the gun from his hands, and followed it up with a punch to the chin. A particularly sloppy punch to the chin that came nowhere near hitting his opponent. It sailed past the criminals' face, who responded with a blow of his own. Terry stumbled back, and felt even queasier.

"Oooh…"

_Terry don't feel too good._

The criminal came in for another blow, and Terry placed a well aimed fist to his face, knocking him out cold. He tied him up and attached him to the trailer with his grappling hook. He stepped forward, and was about to attack the driver when the van took another sudden turn.

And so did Terry's stomach. He put his hands on his belly and moaned.

_Shouldn't have had those tequila shooters…_

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Terry sat on the sidelines, waiting for the queasiness to go away while he watched the police erect a crime scene line and dissuade passer-by's from becoming too interested in the scene of the crash. One of the policemen walked over to him, an evidence bag in his hand, full of a yellowy green liquid.

"Nice stuff you've got here. It stuck to his windshield like glue. What is it?"

Terry grimaced. "Special formula," he mumbled, tenderly rubbing his stomach. He checked the time on his visual display as the policeman walked away, and saw that it had taken an hour to bring down the van.

Dana would not be happy.

He tried not to think about it. Another police car landed, and a man in an overcoat ran over to the van, asking about his jewellery. The police assured him that it was fine, and pointed over at Batman. The man ran over to him, and began shaking his hand profusely.

"Thank you thank you. This store is my life. I don't know what I'd do without it."

Terry waved a hand. "It was nothing. Just part of the job."

"Nonsense. I want to reward you. Take any item of jewellery you want."

Terry shook his head. "No, I couldn't."

The man nodded, grinning. "Yes, yes, you could. Just think of it as a Christmas present."

Terry was about refuse again, when the words _'Christmas present' _became lodged in his mind. He sighed.

"All right. How about…"

_What would Dana like?_

"… a necklace?"

The man nodded, smiling. He walked back over to the remains of the van and walked into the trailer. He emerged a few seconds later and walked over to Terry, a velvet case held delicately in his hands.

"Will this do?" he said, opening the case to reveal the necklace inside.

Terry looked at it. It was breathtaking.

_Just like Dana._

Terry nodded, smiling beneath his mask. "It's perfect."

He pushed a button on his utility belt and the Batmobile hovered overhead. He shook hands with the man.

"Thanks."

"You're thanking _me_? You superheroes are a strange bunch, you know that?"

Terry grinned. "You have no idea."

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"Half an hour, huh?"

Terry's smile remained, despite Dana's 'I will kill Terry McGinnis' look.

"I know, and I'm sorry. It just took longer than I thought."

"What did Mr Wayne want, anyway?"

Terry paused for a moment. "He wanted me to give you something from him to say sorry."

Dana raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Before you say anything, this was _all _my idea. Wayne only paid for it."

Dana smiled slightly. "Well, that depends on what it is."

Terry pulled out the velvet case and opened it. Dana gasped.

"Terry…" she said, her breath taken away by the jewellery.

Terry smiled. "I thought you'd like it."

Dana nodded.

"You want to put it on?"

Dana nodded.

Terry walked around behind her and put the necklace on, lifting her hair so he could wrap it around her delicate neck. She turned to face him and kissed him long and hard. Terry's body melted around his skeleton, drooping slightly. He wrapped his arms around her waist and the two slowly realised that they needed oxygen to live. He put his forehead against hers.

"Merry Christmas, Mrs Claus."

"Merry Christmas, Mr McGinnis."

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Bruce sat in Wayne Manor, reading the newspaper as the sun rose through the window. He sipped at the cup of coffee, enjoying the taste of the hot liquid as it travelled down his throat. The coffee almost burst forth as Bruce choked in shock from what he saw on the newspaper. The headline read:

_Drunkenness: Batman's Newest Weapon!_

Below it was a picture of Terry vomiting on to the windshield of the jewel thief's van. Bruce shook his head and grumbled. Ace looked up at him with a slight whine, as though predicting the rage that would soon occur. He sighed.

_I._

_Hate._

_Teenagers._

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(A/N: Something a bit more cheery and disgusting, but Terry's a teenager; you can't expect him _not _to get drunk around Christmas time at least once.

So what'd you think? Review!)


	6. Oh, the Possibilites

Disclaimer: I don't own _Justice League Unlimited _or any of the characters in this fic.

_**In the Spirit**_

_**Oh, the Possibilities…**_

She should have known, really. It's not exactly rocket science. It wasn't like she hadn't expected it from him. After all, he _was _Batman; crime never sleeps, and all that. But part of her had hoped that he would make an exception for one day. Especially since it was _that _time of year. She had yet to fully understand the relevance of this Christmas, but she only knew that it brought out the best in those around her. Clark was more cheerful, Wally was bouncier… even the more dour members like the Question and Wildcat seemed happier this time of year.

But not Batman. No, never Batman.

_And yet,_ here she was, arguing with the billionaire crime fighter.

"I don't see what's so important that it can't wait."

He continued tapping away on the keyboard, his eyes fixated on the large monitor in front of him. "You were there. Giganta's mind shut down when J'onn attempted to read it. We need to know why."

"But the Question's on it. I think he can find whatever it is you're looking for."

Bruce didn't respond at first, and Diana realised that she had just inadvertently insulted his detective skills. But she didn't apologise.

"Well?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"Well, what?" he responded evenly, still keeping his eyes on the monitor. "Take Flash. He likes Christmas."

Diana rolled her eyes. "I don't _want _to take Wally. I've spent an unhealthy amount of my holiday with him already."

Bruce paused for a moment, as if agreeing. "I don't see why you can't go with someone else."

"Because I want to go with _you_, Bruce. I enjoy your company, though I sometimes wonder why."

Bruce mumbled something quietly, continuing to type away on the computer. Diana leant forward slightly.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

Diana raised an eyebrow. "Bruce. What was that?"

Bruce made a noise that almost sounded like a sigh. Almost. "I said, 'sometimes I wonder too'."

Diana stood to her full height, taken aback by the comment. Batman didn't move for a moment, then slowly resumed his typing, never once looking at Diana. She resisted the urge to grind her jaw, unable to stop the scowl that was crossing her face. She whirled on her heel and marched out of the room. The doors closed behind her, and Bruce Wayne stopped typing. A frown crossed his face and he leant back in his chair.

He sighed, rubbing his eyes beneath his mask.

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She sat down at the table, her expression daring only those with a death wish to approach her. She savagely attacked the steak on her plate, her teeth grinding as her knife sliced through the meat.

"Of all the arrogant…"

"Having a good day, Princess?"

Diana looked up, ready to spit out an insult, when she saw Agent King Faraday standing before her. He had a slightly amused look on his face as he gently tossed an apple into the air, catching it with ease.

"Agent Faraday," she said, trying to remove her scowl. "What brings you here?"

"Justice League business. You should really learn to keep up with these things, Princess," he said, sitting down in the chair opposite Diana. He took a bite from his apple, reminding Diana she had her own food to attend to. She stabbed a slice of her steak with her fork, and chewed it slowly.

Faraday raised an eyebrow. "So… problems in Wonder Woman's world?"

Diana grunted a laugh, then swallowed the chunk of steak. "You could say that."

"Anyone I know?"

Diana shook her head. "It's not important."

Faraday shrugged. "Fair enough. But just so you know…" he said, looking around the cafeteria conspiratorially, "I could have him killed if you wanted."

Diana smiled. "That sounds tempting, but I'd rather do it myself."

"That bad, huh?"

"You have no idea," she mumbled, once again attacking her steak to relieve the anger.

"I think it's already dead, Princess," Faraday added, smiling slightly as he did so.

"Could you please…" she began, struggling to cut through her steak. Realising it was a particularly tough slab of meat, she gave up and looked at him in exasperation.

"…not call me 'Princess'? My name is Diana."

Faraday nodded. "Only if you call me King," he said, extending his hand.

"Deal," Diana responded, shaking his hand. She got back to her steak, deciding to cut at another area.

"So, Diana. What are your plans for the holiday season?"

Diana sighed as the steak refused to comply with her wishes. She set down the knife and fork. "I _was _going to spend it with someone, but-" she paused, not wanting to tell Faraday about Bruce. "- the person in question is otherwise occupied."

"I see," Faraday said, nodding. He suddenly got up, grabbing Diana's knife. "I'll be right back." He walked over to the cutlery tray, and returned with a different knife.

"Note to Diana: for steak, use steak knife."

Diana quickly took the knife from Faraday, an embarrassed but amused smile on her face. She cut into the steak and nodded. "Note taken."

Faraday took his seat opposite Diana again, continuing to eat his apple in silence. Even after he had finished, he waited patiently for her to finish her food.

"So… what are your plans?"

"I think you've asked me that."

"No, I mean right now."

Diana was slightly shocked by the forwardness of the question, but quickly recovered. "Not much. I've finished my shift for the week."

"Good. Because I've got tickets to a Christmas ice show. I was supposed to go with Green Arrow and Black Canary, but they pulled out at the last minute. League business."

"I see," Diana said, raising an eyebrow, a slight smile on her lips. "And I suppose you only have two?"

"Actually, I have three. Me, Green Arrow and Black Canary. You really need to learn your math, Princess."

Diana smirked slightly. Faraday shrugged.

"I prefer 'Princess'," he said, smiling nonchalantly.

"So who's number three?"

"Haven't decided yet. You know anyone who'd want to go? Flash, maybe?"

Diana shook her head. "Hera, no."

Faraday laughed at that. "Didn't strike me as the opera type. Anyone else?"

Diana paused for a moment.

She smiled. "You know… I can't think of anybody."

Faraday shrugged. "I guess we'll have to let the third ticket go to waste."

"I guess so."

She paused.

"When should we meet?"

"It starts at seven. The Metropolis Ice Rink. It's outdoors, so you should dress for the cold. Not that you need it, if memory serves." he said, smirking slightly.

Diana smirked back. "I'll see you there."

Faraday stood. "Don't be late."

"I wouldn't dare. We need to keep relations between the League and its liaison running smoothly. Don't you agree?"

"Wholeheartedly," Faraday said, putting a hand on his chest as he smiled. He gave her a mock salute and left, tossing his apple core over his shoulder and into the trash can behind him. Diana smiled, and put her tray on the rack for dirty and used trays. She set off towards her room, considering what to wear to such an ice show.

The doors closed behind her, and the dark form of Batman emerged from the shadows, a frown on his features. This is what he wanted. He couldn't afford for liabilities. This was for the best. And yet…

He shook his head.

_No. This is for the best. This is what I wanted._

He paused.

_Then why do I want to punch Agent Faraday's lights out?_

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(A/N: I watched _'To Another Shore' _recently, and I got thinking about the bantering between Wonder Woman and Agent Faraday, and… this came out. There's not much overtly Christmassy about it except the ice show talk, but… this is what I see Batman doing during the holidays (besides Robin playing pranks on him, of course).

In any case, reviews wanted, dead or alive.)


	7. Meeting New People

Disclaimer: I don't own _Justice League Unlimited _or any of the characters in this fic.

_**Meeting New People**_

"Two beers, please."

"And some pretzels!" a voice rang out from behind him. Dick looked at the bartender.

"And some pretzels, too."

The bartender raised an eyebrow. "How much?"

Dick turned to his red haired friend, who was busy setting up the pool table. "Wally? How much?"

The out-of-costume speedster paused and looked up at the ceiling for a moment, then smiled. "A lot."

Dick sighed and turned to the bartender. "Just keep them coming, and he'll keep on eating them."

The bartender smiled and walked away to get their orders. In the space of a few seconds, he had returned with two beers and two bowls of pretzels. Dick paid him and walked over to the pool table. Putting the food down on a small table, Dick made his way to the pool table, taking a pool cue as he did so.

"You know, what's funny is that he thinks I'm joking," Dick said, gesturing to the bartender. "So when are these friends of yours getting here?" Dick asked, handing Wally his beer.

Wally grinned. "They'll be here."

"Who are they, anyway? League friends?"

Wally's face scrunched as he thought on the matter. "Well… sort of… but not really…" he shook his head. "You'll see."

"This isn't going to be like the last time you surprised me, is it? Because I saw all the guys a few days ago."

The speedster shook his head. "Just trust me, you'll like them," he said, winking at his friend as he took a sip of beer. He set the beer down on the edge of the table and took aim at the white ball. "So… how are things in the life Richard Grayson?"

"Well, Blockbuster's been-"

Wally shook his head, standing. "No, not _business _stuff. What's new in the life of Dick Grayson?" He grinned. "Like that haircut of yours."

Dick rubbed the back of his head where his ponytail once was. "Uh… yeah. It was grabbed during a… uh… struggle… so I thought I should get rid of it."

"What kind of dirty bad guy grabs your hair?" Wally joked. Dick didn't respond. The speedster looked up at his silent friend, an eyebrow raised. "It… _was _a bad guy… right?"

Dick's face reddened slightly, and Wally grinned.

"Oh, I _see._ You devil you," Wally said, winking. "How are things with you-know-who?"

Dick cleared his throat and sipped his beer. "They're good."

"How good?" Wally asked, raising an eyebrow exaggeratedly as he again aimed his shot.

Dick still avoided his friend's gaze. "_Scary_ good."

The Fastest Man Alive whipped his head back in surprise and stood, again disregarding the game. "Wow. So you're planning on-?"

"God, Wally, I don't know. I've been wrestling with this for a while now. Can we talk about something else? I came here to take my mind _off _my worries."

The red haired superhero grinned and shrugged. "Sorry," he said, yet again taking aim at the white ball. He brought the cue back and was about to break…

A sly smile appeared on Dick's face. "So how's Fire?"

Wally's eyes widened and the cue slipped, sending the white ball ricocheting off the table and noisily onto the floor. He glared at his friend, who was doing a bad job of hiding his smirk. He waved a defensive hand.

"Sorry," he said, still snickering as he went to fetch the white ball. "Maybe I should break," he said, putting the white ball on the table.

"Yeah, maybe you should," Wally said irritably, snatching his beer from it's resting place on the edge of the pool table. Dick put his beer down in the same place and took aim, the smirk still on his face.

"So? How _are _things with Fire?"

Wally was silent as he sipped his beer. Dick stood, leaning forward on the edge of the table.

"Have you at least said more than five words to her yet?"

"Yeah," he said defensively, jutting out his jaw in annoyance. "I just… haven't talked to her… uh… much."

Dick sighed. "Right."

"What? It's not like you're an expert on it. How long did it take you to tell Starfire you liked her?"

Dick mumbled something unintelligible. Wally cupped a hand around his ear. "Sorry? What was that?"

The black haired man scowled, and was about to take his shot when the door to the bar opened. Through it stepped a black haired man of above average build, and another raven haired woman who bore a striking resemblance to Wonder Woman. The Scarlet Speedster grinned and opened his arms.

"Hey! They're here!"

The black haired man smiled. "Sorry. We got a little lost."

The woman nodded, a scowl on her face. "It's not like this place is easy to find."

Wally shrugged, and the woman's face softened. "It's good to see you, Wally."

Wally looked around the two. "Where's Oberon?"

"He isn't too fond of the cold," the man said, smiling apologetically.

"Well, it's good to see you guys." He gestured towards Dick. "This is Dick Grayson. Dick, this is Scott Miracle and Big Barda."

Dick raised an eyebrow. "Big Barda?"

"Big Barda."

"Big Barda. Nice to meet you," he said, extending his hand. She shook it firmly, and Dick tried not to wince at her super strength. He smiled and extended his hand to Mr Miracle, who was fortunately at a more human strength level.

"I don't think Wally's ever told me about the two of you."

The speedster shrugged. "Well, it's been a while since you've done intergalactic space stuff, so I thought… well, you've met them now. I'll get you some beers," Wally said, shooting off to the bar.

"So… what are you playing?" Scott asked, pointing at the table.

"Oh! This is called pool," Dick said, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu. Explaining human customs to people unfamiliar with earth culture must be part of his job description somewhere.

"Pool?" Barda asked, slowly making her way over to the table. Dick couldn't tell if she was deliberately ignoring the stares of the men in the bar, but she seemed to be doing a good job of it. Scott leaned over and put a hand next to his mouth.

"If you think they're staring a lot now, you haven't seen her in her normal costume," he said, smiling slightly. Dick didn't need to know. He knew all too well how superheroine's costumes could be… distracting.

"What're the rules?" the woman asked, looking at the arranged balls with a cocked eyebrow.

Wally suddenly appeared at her side. "You take a cue," he said, handing his over to her. "And use it to hit the white ball against another one. You try and get the coloured balls into the pockets."

"How do you know who's won?"

"You either have a ball that's one solid colour, or has a stripe on it." To elaborate his point, he picked up two orange balls; one a solid orange, the other white with an orange stripe on it. "Whoever pots all of their balls first is the winner. The black one goes in last."

"What do the numbers mean?"

"We'll worry about that later."

Barda shrugged. "Fair enough." And with that, she brought back her cue and swung it, baseball style, at the table, attempting to hit the white ball. The cue shattered, sending splinters everywhere.

"Hmm…" she said. "It's an interesting game. You need a lot of skill to hit the white ball with those borders in the way."

Wally scratched the back of his neck. "Um… yeah."

Dick looked at the bartender apologetically. "Sorry. She's new in these parts. We'll pay for it. Won't we, Wally?"

He turned for confirmation, but his speedster friend was gone. He rubbed his eyes in frustration. He turned to Scott, who had a sympathetic smile on his face.

"Someday… when he's old and slow… I'll kill him. I really will."

Scott laughed, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I know you will."

A few hours later, a few payments and explanations of rules later, the four were sat around a table enjoying their beers. Barda yawned.

"Well, it's getting late, and Oberon gets cranky when… actually, he's cranky all the time. But we'd better be going anyway."

Wally stretched and yawned. "Yeah… sounds like a good idea. I've got monitor duty in the morning as well."

The yawn was infectious, and Dick followed suit. "And I've… got nothing to do tomorrow. I just need some sleep."

They all laughed quietly and got up to leave. Scott extended his hand.

"It's been nice meeting you, Dick."

"Likewise. Maybe I'll see you again sometime."

And with that, they left. Dick and Wally remained behind, mostly because their drinks weren't yet finished. But another reason was that the two still weren't done talking to one another.

"So… 'scary good', huh?" Wally asked, tracing the outline of his bottle of beer.

Dick nodded, taking a sip of his drink. "'Scary good,'" he repeated. He laughed to himself. "Sounds like something Garfield would say, doesn't it?"

"I wasn't gonna say anything, but it kinda does, yeah." Wally paused. "So? _Are _you going to do anything about it?"

"I don't know," Dick said through a sigh. "I want to, and it seems the right thing to do… but…" he shook his head. "I don't know." He turned to look at his friend. "What about you? Are _you _going to anything about Fire?"

Wally frowned and shrugged. "Not sure. I mean, she's nice and all, but… I can't help but get this feeling… like something's coming around the corner."

A jet black eyebrow rose. "What? Like a destiny thing?"

Wally closed his eyes in mock disgust, a wry smile on his lips. "Don't say it like that. You make it sound like I'm Ken waiting for Barbie to come along."

Dick laughed, and so did Wally. "That sounded a bit _too _much like Raven."

Wally frowned slightly at the mention of the dark empath. "How, uh… is Raven? Is she okay?"

"When I saw her a few days ago, she seemed fine. She wasn't exactly wrapped up in Christmas cheer, but she was okay."

Wally nodded, a slight smile on his face. "Good, good."

"I still think you need to-"

"Talk to her, I know, I know."

The two old friends shared a comfortable silence, one of many they had shared in their lifetime. From being Kid Flash and Robin, to being _the _Flash and Nightwing, to simply being Wally West and Dick Grayson, they had always been able to help each other out and listen when the other had a problem. And both were grateful for it. Wally yawned again.

"Well… I'd better be going. The last time I fell asleep during monitor duty, Green Arrow drew a moustache on my face and put a sombrero on me," Wally said as they left, heading out into the snow.

Dick tried not to laugh. "I know. Roy showed me the picture."

"There was a picture! Aw, that's not fair…"

And Dick listened to his friend's complaints as they walked through the snow, smiling the whole time.

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(A/N: I hadn't written a Flash and Nightwing fic in a while, and I was missing the two best buds, so here they are. Aside from the snow, this (once again) isn't a particularly Christmassy fic. But then again, this story is also about the heroes taking a break, rather than everything having to be stereotypically 'jingle bells' and all that.

Anyway, reviews are a wonderful Christmas gift.)


	8. Tis the Season

Disclaimer: _Justice League Unlimited, Static Shock _and all the characters in this story aren't my property. Well, except for the kids, but nobody's going to envy me for them.

'_**Tis the Season**_

Virgil Hawkins, the costumed crime fighter also known as Static, flew across the skies of his hometown, Dakota. He crouched on his flying disk, trying to spot his destination from his altitude. Of course, the current blizzard didn't help. His Dad said that calling it a blizzard was a bit of an exaggeration, but _he _wasn't the one flying about in the clouds. Spotting his quarry, Virgil willed the disk downwards using his powers of electricity manipulation. The disk complied silently, the only noises being the sizzle of the snowflakes as they evaporated on the electricity field.

Once he reached ground level, Virgil hopped off the disk and folded it into itself as he had done so many times before. He wondered if he would ever find another mode of transportation. Yet another thing he should have asked his future self during his brief journey there. He shook the thought from his head as he entered the building, brushing snow from his unruly hair as he went.

"Okay, I'm here. Now where…?"

He grinned as he saw his fellow crime fighter Gear, otherwise known as Richie Foley. He was not dressed in his usual costume, just as Virgil wasn't. However, Virgil had ended up being dressed as Santa Claus for this show. Richie had ended up being an elf, a fact that he was still grumbling about a week after he was given the news. And Virgil was still laughing at the costume.

"Hey! How's my little helper elf?"

Richie scowled beneath his facemask. "Y'know, if I knew it wouldn't traumatise the kids, I would _so _kill you right now."

"And that's why I like being a superhero," Virgil said, still smirking. "So where are the kids?"

As if in answer to his question, the double doors on the other end of the room burst open, and a wave of small children burst through. Virgil resisted the temptation to cover his ears from the noise, and simply opted to give the children a grin and a wave. He still wasn't used to the whole public service part of being a superhero.

"Hey kids! How you doing? I'm Static Claus, Santa's good friend, and this is my partner…" he said, gesturing over to Richie, who crossed his arms and made a huffing noise. "I said, 'and this is my partner…'" Virgil repeated in a slightly more hushed tone, raising his eyebrows at Richie.

Richie sighed. "…Gear, the helpful elf," he said, his voice a perfect monotone.

Virgil smiled and turned back to the kids. "All right, so what would you kids like to do first?" he said, rubbing his hands together to create some sparks. The children looked in awe at the flashing purple lights, entranced. One child raised his hand. Virgil walked over to him and knelt before him. "All right man. What's your name?"

"Robert."

"Okay, Robert, what can I do you for?"

"I want you to zap Susie! She's stupid!"

"Am not!" an indignant voice responded.

Virgil smiled. "Well, I'm not really allowed to-"

"I thought you were a big superhero though? I thought you zap bad people?"

"Well, I do, but-"

Another voice rang out. "Wait, you said you were Santa's friend, not Static! You're not Static!"

Virgil stood. "Hey, I-"

"Where's Santa? We want Santa!"

Virgil turned back to Richie, who was setting up some strange contraption while quietly singing 'Tis the Season'.

"Gear!" Virgil hissed through his teeth. "Stop with that and give me a hand!"

"Just a second…" he said, preoccupied with adjusting something on the strange device. Meanwhile, the kids were beginning to tug on Virgil's coat, noisily and angrily demanding the return of Santa Claus.

"There!" Gear said, stepping back from his new invention. A small circle in the center of the machine lit up, and a hologram projected itself into the air, the colours swirling and dancing around each other to eventually assume the form of Santa Claus. Virgil looked at Richie questioningly, who just put his fingers to his lips and winked at his friend. The children looked in awe at the hologram as it began to speak.

"Hello, children. I regret that I'm not there to talk to you, but I'm very busy, andskssjkkskkskskkssss! Error. Goodbyeeeee children. Yes?"

And with that, the hologram sputtered out of existence. Virgil looked over at Richie, who just shrugged with an exasperated look on his face.

"I don't know," he said quietly, and the children slowly began to stir.

"That wasn't Santa! You keep on trying to trick us!"

Virgil put his hands up defensively, looking to the caretakers of the children pleadingly. "No, kids, you got it all wrong-"

"He's quite right, children. That wasn't Santa Claus; I am."

Virgil turned to see Chris Cringle himself walking towards them, a jolly smile on his face and a spring in his step. Virgil raised an eyebrow, and looked over at Richie.

"Not me," Richie mouthed, looking in puzzlement at the Santa Claus look-alike. Robert scowled.

"_You're _not Santa. I bet your beard isn't even real," he said, running over to Santa Claus and pulling on his beard. Virgil prepared himself for another farce when the man winced in pain.

"Careful there, son. It takes quite a while to grow a beard like this," he said, chuckling to himself as he picked up the boy. Robert's eyes lit up.

"It really is him! His beard's real and everything!"

Virgil's eyes widened slightly.

_Who **is **this guy?_

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Once the proceedings were over and the children had gone home, Virgil and Richie were left with 'Santa Claus'.

"Thanks for your help back there. I don't know what we were gonna do."

Richie laughed. "Yeah. I was afraid that Static would have to shock them."

'Santa' smiled. "Oh, I don't think that would have been necessary. They were only children, after all." He made his way towards the door.

"I've gotta say, you're pretty good for a guy in a costume," Virgil said, shaking his head in amazement.

"Why thank you, young man. But it's not a costume." He turned and left the building, walking through the doors and into the snow. Richie and Virgil looked at each other before running after him. They both burst through the doors at high speed, slipping slightly on the snow. They looked up and down the street, but 'Santa' was gone. Virgil turned to Richie.

"Where'd he…?"

"Dunno. Backpack can't detect him anywhere, either."

Virgil paused for a moment. "You don't think…?"

Richie laughed. "Nah."

A noise caught their attention, and they looked up to see what looked curiously like a flying sleigh being pulled by reindeer. The two stared up at the sky, their eyes wide with shock.

"No… way," Richie said, and Virgil dumbly nodded.

It didn't even occur to him to fly after it.

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'Santa Claus' landed on a nearby rooftop, and reverted back to his true form. The Martian known as J'onn J'onnz pulled the facsimile of the sleigh and reindeer back into this body. It hadn't been particularly pleasant, stretching his body in such a way. He wasn't even sure why he was in Dakota in the first place. He had simply been travelling the country since the incident with Viking Prince, and he had somehow ended up here. Was it just a coincidence he was in the mall at the same time that Virgil and Richie were doing their little Christmas presentation? He didn't know. He just knew that something compelled him to help them out. He reached out with his mind, and felt the amazement and awe coming from both Richie and Virgil, and he allowed himself a small smile.

It was worth it.

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(A/N: I was wondering what to do with Static and Gear, when I also thought that I needed a story for J'onn, considering his large role in _'Comfort and Joy'_.

Anyhow, review.)


	9. Let's Review

Disclaimer: I laugh at the concept of ownership.

_**Let's Review**_

He sits down.

So does she.

She decides to start.

"Been quite a year, huh?"

"No kidding. Kicking off the New Year with an alien invasion didn't help."

"I'm not talking about _that_. I mean all this new League stuff."

"Feeling a bit weird, kid?"

"Well… kinda, yeah. I mean, when this year started, I was just another superhero. But now…"

"_Now _you're part of this mess."

She laughs. "I wouldn't put it like _that_."

A pause.

"Okay, maybe I would. But that's not the point. It's more… that I feel like I'm part of something bigger now. Something that's above me, y'know?"

He scoffs. "Do _I _know? Of course I know, kid. I'm pretty much the only guy who didn't jump at the chance to join these pumped up yahoos."

Her eyebrow rises. "'Pumped up yahoos?'"

A roll of the eyes behind his mask. "I didn't mean _you _specifically. You know what I mean."

Another pause.

"So what do you think of everyone?"

She raises a blond eyebrow. "Such as?"

"Oh, I don't know…" A shrug. "Let's start from the top; Batman."

"Batman's at the top?"

"Oh yes. And don't let anyone tell you different." A mischievous grin. "Especially Superman."

She laughs. "Okay, Batman…" Another shrug. "To be honest, I don't know that much about him. He's not exactly the Flash in terms of friendliness."

He smiles. "Oh, I see. So you think the Flash is friendly?"

"Why? Don't you?"

A shake of the head. "Nicest guy in the world. But we'll get on to what I think later. What about you?"

"He's a nice guy."

"Is that all?"

"What d'you mean?"

"Oh, come on… 'He's nice'? Give me a break."

"Okay, fine. He…"

An incoherent mumble.

A smirk. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you. Could you say that again?"

"He has a cute butt, okay?"

He laughs loudly. She blushes.

"What? It's more than the ladies say about you."

He shuts up. "Come again?"

She laughs in victory. "There. You can't say much about that. Okay, let's see… Wonder Woman-"

"Woah, woah, wait up. Which women?"

"'Which women' what?"

"Which women don't say good things about me?"

Puts her hand on her head. "Oh, God… are you _that _insecure?"

"Of course not. I'm with Black Canary. I don't care what the women in the League think of me. Or my butt, for that matter."

"What butt?" she mutters.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that. Anyway, you were saying about Wonder Woman?"

"When I first met her, I thought she was a bit up herself, but she's a Princess, so…"

"Waitwaitwait. _You're _criticising someone for being up herself? You have looked in a mirror before, right?"

She huffs. "I'm not up myself. I'm just sure of what I can do, that's all."

"No, Superman's sure of what he can do. _You _are pretentious."

"I am _not!_"

"That was for the butt comment. Now, what about… Green Lantern?"

"Too serious. But I like him."

"Okay… Captain Atom?"

"Ditto."

He nods. "Okay, okay… the Question?"

She laughs. "I think we're on the same page about that guy."

"True enough."

"How did he manage to get Huntress?"

A shrug. "I don't know." A shudder. "I don't _want _to know."

Another laugh.

"Okay, one last one, and then it's your turn."

"All right."

"Green Arrow."

"Ugly guy. Stupid too. But he's okay."

He smiles. She smiles too.

"Okay, your turn."

She rubs her hand together. "Okay… umm… Black Canary."

"Oh, come on. Give me something difficult. Gorgeous, smart… and sexy as hell."

She rolls her eyes. "You're right. That _was _a bad idea."

He grins. "I warned you."

"Okay… let's see… J'onn."

"Kindest guy you'll ever meet. Lonely too. I've got to say, I miss him when I'm up here."

She nods sadly. "Yeah… I wonder what he's doing for the holidays."

"Probably being a mall Santa somewhere."

A wry smile. "Yeah, right."

"I could see it."

"Yeah, I bet you could."

She smiles. He smiles.

She continues.

"The Creeper."

"Oh… don't get me started on _that _guy. I had _one _mission with him. _One._ And I ended up doubting my sanity when I got back. It doesn't help that the other guy on the team was the Question. Now _there's_ seven hours of my life I want back."

He hears his name being called through the intercom. He gets up to leave.

"Looks like I'm in for some fun."

"Have a jolly good time."

He grins as he walks away. "Ho ho ho."

"And just ignore those looks everyone gives your butt; it's not your fault!"

"Funny. I think I might tell Flash what you think of him."

"That's not funny."

"I disagree. By the way, I think that Supergirl is ugly, fat, stupid, _and _smells bad."

"Happy Holidays, Ollie."

"Same to you, Kara."

They both smile. They both have good friends.

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(A/N: Wow. I think this is the fastest I've ever updated a story. I watched _Fearful Symmetry _and a lightning bolt struck my brain, and I rammed this down before it disappeared. If it's lacking detail, it's because it only took me about 40 minutes.

It's kind of sad that they haven't had an episode together since, but what can I do?

…write fics! Hoorah for imagination!

Anyway, please review.)


	10. Movie Time

Disclaimer: _Justice League Unlimited? _Mine? Ha.

_**Movie Time**_

Wally West, the costumed hero known as the Flash, looked at his surroundings with a whistle. This room in the Metro Tower had been successfully turned into a makeshift movie theatre. And he was very impressed with the results. "How'd you get Supes to agree to this?"

Oliver Queen, dressed in the colourful garb of the Green Arrow, winked at the Scarlet Speedster.

"I have my ways. Knowing the Question has its' advantages."

The young speedster smiled and nodded. "I see… good job."

Green Arrow bowed melodramatically. "I learn from the best."

Flash put his hand to his cheek in mock modesty. "Oh, please."

Black Canary rolled her eyes. "This is all very nice, but can we sit down now? I've been my feet all day."

"I'll be happy to sweep you off them, my lovely birdie," Green Arrow said, smirking as he scooped her up in his arms and took them to their seats. Flash shrugged and sat down, munching away on his mountain of popcorn.

"OOOOOO!"

Flash leapt out of his chair and turned on his heel to see the grinning face of the Creeper leaning over the chair.

"Can I have some popcorn?" he asked, chuckling.

Flash let out a breath, relaxing. "Geez, Creeper. You scared the crap out of me."

The slightly insane hero laughed. "Okay! But can I have some popcorn?"

"The popcorn dispenser's just outside."

"The what dispenser?"

"The popcorn dispenser."

"The popcorn what?"

Flash sighed. "The popcorn dispenser!"

"The what what?"

The scarlet speedster took a deep breath. "Okay, fine. You can have mine. _I'll _get some more popcorn for me."

"Okay!" the yellow skinned hero said. He clapped loudly as he danced around singing 'popcorn'.

Flash was back in a second with another tub of popcorn. He merrily munched away, happy that the unpleasantness was over and done with.

"OOOOOO!"

Flash ducked his head in shock. A scowl on his face, he turned to once again find the Creeper staring at him.

"Can I have some popcorn?"

"You already have some popcorn! I gave you mine!"

"That popcorn was stupid, so I threw it away!"

"Why was it stupid?"

"Because popcorn is better when it's someone else's!"

Flash sighed. Fire entered and sat down next to him.

_Oh great. Like I need this._

He _really _wanted the movie to start soon.

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Ray Palmer, the costumed scientist known as the Atom, brushed the last of the popcorn from his costume. He still didn't know who threw that tub of popcorn on him, but Booster Gold had found it suitably funny. He turned to the laughing superhero, scowling.

"And _this _is why I'd rather be in the lab."

Booster stifled his laughter with a cough. "Sorry, Palmer. It's just not something you see everyday. And I've never heard such a girly cry from a guy in all my life."

Atom was ready with a biting response when the lights went down. Booster was under the impression that he had won their little argument. The Atom would have to change that. He leaned over to the blond superhero.

"What movie is it, anyway?" he whispered, keeping his eyes on the screen.

Booster shrugged. "Dunno. Something about a deer."

_A deer?_

He put his hand over his face. "Not _Bambi_…"

"What?" Booster asked, turning towards him.

"I believe he said _'Not Bambi'_, sir," Skeets added loudly. The other audience members didn't take kindly to this exclamation.

"Ssssh!"

"Quiet over there!"

"Shut that thing up, Gold!"

Booster grabbed the floating orb and pulled it down. "Keep it down, Skeets. You don't want to get kicked out, do you?"

"Certainly not, sir," came the quieter reply.

"Good," Booster said, nodding. He turned to look at the Atom. "What'd you say, P-" Booster stopped himself as he realised that the Atom was gone.

"Palmer?" he whispered, trying to keep his voice down.

"I SAID, 'NOT BAMBI'!"

Booster screamed girlishly, leaping up in fright. The Atom jumped out of his ear and grew back to his full size. With a smirk on his face, the nano-scientist sat down in his chair, taking a handful of popcorn from Booster's tub.

"I have to say, Booster, I've never heard such a girly cry from a guy in all my life."

Booster just scowled and sat down. If Skeets were human, he would have shaken his head. He just didn't understand humans at all.

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"_My name's Thumper!" _the happy rabbit exclaimed onscreen.

Some men rolled their eyes, as did some women. However, some men were completely enraptured in the animated rabbit's words, as were some of the women. One of these men was Vigilante, though he would never let it show, especially not to Shining Knight, who was sat next to him. They had had a little rivalry going on ever since they met, and they were always trying to out do each other, whether it was in battle or in playing chess. And Shining Knight seemed completely disinterested in the movie. So Vigilante tried his best to seem even _more _disinterested, short of pretending to fall to sleep.

A farting noise came from the back of the make shift theatre. Vigilante tried to ignore it. He knew how it was with the Metro Tower food. He turned his attention back to the movie, being careful not to show it in the least.

Another farting noise. And a giggle. A very _familiar _giggle. The giggle of Plastic Man. It was only there for a second, and it was so quiet only the most trained ears could have heard it, but it was there. Vigilante had learnt the hard way to always be listening out for Plastic Man, ready for some humiliating prank or practical joke. The stretchy hero could do any number of things with his powers, and Vigilante had no doubt one of them was to make raspberry noises at will.

A third farting noise. He almost stood up and shouted at the elastic prankster, but remembered that Shining Knight had shown no such annoyance.

_All right, you shiny goose stepper. You want to pretend it don't bother you? Fine. I won't be bothered so much you ain't gonna know what's happening._

He let his eyes drift closed, but not to the point where he couldn't see what was happening onscreen.

Fart number four. This time Creeper laughed too, though he was nowhere near as quiet about it as Plastic Man was. Several Leaguers protested.

"Ssssh!"

"Quiet, you crazy moron!"

"I resent that! I'm not crazy!" he said, letting out a hoot of laughter before falling silent and into his chair.

Fart number five. Another giggle. Flash snickered behind his popcorn. Vigilante's eyebrow twitched imperceptibly. He briefly considered standing up and shooting Plastic Man, but then realised that he would just bounce the bullets back at him.

Another fart.

_Just watch the movie._

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"Whoever keeps on cracking ones off better stop soon," growled Hank Hall, the superhero known as Hawk. He was already irritated that Elongated Man had decided to sit in front of him while wearing the biggest Santa Claus hat in existence. Now some jerk was making raspberry noises at the back of the room.

Donald Hall, otherwise known as Dove, sighed. "Just watch the movie, Hank."

"How can I watch it while whoever it is keeps making noises?"

The green haired Brazilian known as Fire inserted her head between the two bickering siblings. "Would both of you please be quiet? I'm trying to watch the movie."

Dove smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry. It's just that-"

Another fart.

Hawk sprung to his feet. "That's it! I'm putting a stop to this right-"

Fire grabbed his shoulder and forced him into his seat. "Just ignore him, and he'll stop."

"Yeah, right, like _that'll _work."

Yet another fart. Flash smirked, though he tried to hide it.

Hawk scowled at Fire and Dove. He let out a low growl.

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"_Mother! Mother!" _the small deer called out, searching for its' mother in the snow. Flash fought the tears that were threatening to burst forth.

_Come on Wally. Fire's sitting right there. You can do this._

She looked over at the woman in question, and found the tears welling up in her eyes as well.

"Tissue?" he croaked, and her green hair shook gracefully as she nodded. With a slight gust of wind and a red blur, Flash was back with a box of tissues. Fire smiled and gratefully took the box.

"Thank you."

Flash smiled. He was just glad to be distracted from the tragic scene unfolding onscreen.

There was another fart noise. Flash grimaced. He had to admit, he _had_ found it funny the first few times. Who wouldn't? But now it was getting out of hand.

Another fart. Creeper burst out laughing, hysterically. "Bambi's farting!"

Vigilante leapt to his feet. "All right! That's IT, you horse loving, weak stomached, stretchy excuse for a superhero! I know for a fact that Green Arrow here spent a long time tryin' to get us this movie night, and I'm sick o' your stupid noises! So would you ever so kindly SHUT UP?"

A few cheers went up.

"Couldn't have said it better!"

"Right on, buddy!"

"I'm Creeper!"

"Just watch the movie!"

"Hear, hear!"

"Tally ho! I'm the Creeper!"

"And you can shut up, too!"

"My name's Creeper, not too. Ooo, who threw that? Because now I must get my revenge!""

Green Arrow looked over to his significant other and sighed. "I love doing a little something for the kids."

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(A/N: I consider _Bambi _a Christmassy film, though I'm not really a fan. It was originally going to be _It's a Wonderful Life, _but it seemed funnier to have Vigilante get annoyed about _Bambi _instead. And the lack of attention Creeper gets in JLU is criminal. I'll have to write a gritty crime thriller story with him sometime.

I'm kidding.

And reading this again, I realised that I'm using the Flash in quite a few of these chapters. Apologies for not being more balanced, and rest assured, I'm not trying to force him into every chapter, he only ends up in them when it works for the story. For _Learning a Lesson_, he's the only superhero I know of that does community service stuff. _Meeting New People _was the official Flash chapter for this fic, and his mention in _Let's Review _just grew out of the conversation. And here, well, who better to sit next to Fire?

Anyway, I realised that I haven't done a Shayera chapter, or a Green Lantern one, for that matter. So guess what's coming next?

Can't think of a good present for me? A nicely wrapped review would suit me just fine.)


	11. A Different Type

Disclaimer: I like _Justice League Unlimited. _Own it? No.

_**A Different Type**_

Her wings fluttered in the breeze. Her body wanted to shiver from the cold, but her force of will wouldn't allow it. Instead, she gritted her teeth and leapt from the rooftop, spreading her arms and her wings as she glided away. It didn't take much for her to stay aloft; just the occasional beat of her wings would keep her going. Despite the cold, part of her was glad that it was snowing so. The people of Metropolis were less tempted to look up whilst it was snowing, and the likelihood of someone spotting her and making a fuss was considerably decreased. Of course, the occasional person spotted her and pointed (usually children), but they were either ignored or dismissed.

She stopped on a nearby rooftop, and crouched down to conserve her body heat. She was stood at the entrance to Metropolis Park, where carol singers had gathered around the large Christmas tree that stood proudly in the center of the Park. Shayera had always liked Earth music, especially the more peaceful variety. Wally was surprised when he had first learned this, expecting her to like rock and roll, or heavy metal. She smiled at how shocked his face had appeared under his scarlet mask.

She had a special appreciation for Christmas carols. It reminded her of last Christmas, just before her people had invaded. She and John had remained on the alien planet after the rest of the League had left, and had had a particularly enjoyable snowball fight. Of course, Shayera preferred the bar brawl, but each to their own. Upon their return to Earth, they had stopped at a Church in John's old neighbourhood, and listened to the songs being sung there. And Shayera had never felt so at peace. Not on Thanagar, not with Hro… _certainly _not with Hro.

She shook her head free of such thoughts, and sent a flurry of snow from her hair. With a quiet grumble, Shayera pushed herself to her feet, observing that she needed a shower and a cup of coffee. Or hot chocolate. Whichever one she could get to first, as far as she was concerned. With a strong beat of her wings, she was airborne and heading back to the Metro Tower.

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As she walked down the corridor to the refectory, Shayera was amazed by the human capacity to forgive and forget. Every person she had come across on her walk through the corridors, be it Atom Smasher or Wildcat, had a nod or a wave for her. Some people even said 'Merry Christmas' to her, although all of those people were wearing Santa Claus related paraphernalia. Even Batman was wearing a Santa Claus hat, though Shayera didn't think that he knew he had it on.

The doors to the refectory opened obligingly with a quiet hiss, and Shayera was surprised by the lack of noise from the room.

_Looks like everyone's out enjoying Christmas._

The Christmas spirit hit her, and she decided on hot chocolate. Coffee was such a business like drink. Hot chocolate was the drink for sitting alone and relaxing. Well, either that or Blurb, but she hadn't been able to find anything on Earth that even came close to approximating a good mug of Blurb. She sat down and sipped at her sweet tasting drink, and smiled at the warm feeling it gave her.

"Hello Birdnose!"

Shayera looked up to see the grinning form of the yellow skinned Creeper. She frowned.

"My name's Shayera. Don't call me that."

"Is Birdnose gonna get mad?" he said sarcastically, though his grinning demeanour cancelled out the effect somewhat.

Shayera sighed. Had she become _that _synonymous with random violence? "No, it's just that my name is Shayera, not Birdnose."

"Well I'm gonna call you Birdnose!"

"Why?" she asked, her eyes thinning.

"Because you've got wings like a bird, right?"

"Right…"

"And you've got a nose, right?"

Shayera sighed. "Right."

"So… bird plus nose equals Birdnose! Okay?"

"Fine. But if you call me that, I'm going to call you Crazyface."

Creeper seemed shocked by the suggestion. "But why, Birdnose?"

"You're crazy, right?"

He giggled slightly. "Yeeessss…"

"And you have a face, right?"

"So long as no-one's stolen it!" Creeper yelled, looking around as though checking that no-one could have taken his face.

"Okay then. Crazy plus face equals Crazyface. Okay?"

The yellow skinned vigilante grinned and cast his eyes upwards, as though contemplating the matter. "Okay!" he said, nodding vigorously. He remained silent for a moment as he watched Shayera sip at her drink.

"What'cha drinkin', Birdnose?"

Shayera looked down at the mug in her hands. "Hot chocolate. Want some?"

"Please!" he said, clapping his hands in celebration. She handed the mug to him slowly, and he snatched it from her small hand, drenching his whole body in the liquid as he attempted to drink it.

"That was fun!" he said, laughing afterwards.

Shayera laughed quietly. "I suppose it was, yes."

Creeper wiped the hot chocolate from his chin and threw the mug over his shoulder. "Why's Birdnose sad?"

Shayera was taken aback by the question. "What are you talking about? I'm fine."

Creeper shook his head vigorously, his grin lessening slightly. "Don't try and trick Crazyface. He knows and sees all!" he said, striking a heroic pose. Just as suddenly, he leapt from the pose into the chair opposite Shayera, leaning towards her from his crouched position on the chair.

"So what's your problem, huh kid?" he said, adopting a Humphrey Bogart voice. "Don't like Christmas? Don't like religion? Lonely? Or just angry at everything? C'mon kid, gimme something."

Shayera rubbed the back of her neck nervously, and Creeper bounded on to the table in front of her, leaning ever closer.

"So, it's lonely, huh?"

"What? I didn't say that."

Creeper laughed. "No, but you twitched. It's the ever present twitch, dahling. It means you're lonely. Why're you lonely, huh? Creeper's here."

Shayera paused, then mentally shrugged. It was the Creeper. Who was he going to tell? Who would believe him even if he did tell them?

"I guess after the invasion, I-"

"Invasion! Where! Don't let them take my brain!" Creeper yelled, leaping off the table and looking frantically around the room.

"No, no… I mean the Thanagarian invasion."

"Oh, right… I get it. Good one!"

He burst out laughing, and Shayera couldn't help but find his grin infectious. "Sorry, Birdnose. You were speaking. I need to learn me some manners, ma."

Shayera laughed and shook her head. "I guess… I just wonder who I have left to… celebrate with."

"What about Green Lantern? I thought you two were… y'know, guv'nor… nudge, nudge, wink wink," he said, winking and nudging her as he did so.

Shayera would have scowled, but she found it difficult to be in a bad mood around someone so happy. "No… uh, no, we're not."

"Oh, all right then. What about Flash? You spend a lot of time with him. _I _spend a lot of time with him too."

"You do?"

"No," he quickly replied, then burst out laughing. "Though I did eat his popcorn once. Yummy stuff."

"Right… Anyway, no, Flash is busy during the holidays."

"I bet if you asked him, he'd make time…"

"Probably, but I don't want to trouble him."

"Okey-dokey! What about... that Doctor guy?"

Shayera frowned. "What… Dr Fate?"

Creeper bounced up and down on his chair. "That's him!"

Shayera thought for a moment. After the Thanagarian invasion, Dr Fate and Inza had taken her in. They had taken care of her and allowed her to find her purpose in life. And she couldn't think of any other time when she felt more at peace, even during her emotional turmoil. She smiled.

"Thank you, Crazyface," she said, putting a hand on his shoulder, and he nodded maniacally in agreement.

"It's all right, Birdnose! Have a Merry New Year!"

She smiled and turned to leave. "Same to you, Crazyface."

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"Shayera. I was not expecting you."

She looked at the man clad in blue and gold stood before her, considering his tone of voice. It was almost completely neutral, as always, but there was genuine surprise in there somewhere. But nothing negative. She shrugged, hoping she would come across as nonchalant.

"I was just passing, and I thought I'd stop by to see how you're all doing."

Dr Fate paused, as though judging her sincerity. After a few moments, he nodded. "Very well. You are always welcome here, Shayera. Just try to keep your enthusiasm while playing chess to a minimum; Inza and I are in the process of a most complex meditation chant."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

Fate held up a hand to halt her. "We are merely in the preliminary stages at the moment. Arthur and Amazo are already inside. Stay as long as you please."

And with a flash of light, he was gone, and Shayera was inside Fate's tower. She turned to see Aquaman and Amazo in an intense game of chess. Much to Shayera's surprise, Amazo seemed to be losing. Amazo looked up at the source of light, his small red eyes widening slightly at the sight of her. Aquaman glanced over his shoulder.

"I see you had nowhere to go during this strange time of the year."

Shayera approached the King of Atlantis. "Nice to see you too. Amazo," she said, nodding at the golden android.

"Shayera," he responded calmly, moving a chess piece forward without looking at the board. He turned his head to look at Aquaman. "Checkmate in twenty one moves. You are improving."

Aquaman growled, and Shayera smiled, sitting down on a footstool. She looked at the long haired King. "You know about Christmas in Atlantis?"

"It's hard not to, isn't it?" he grunted, offering her a quick glance before looking at the android again. "Set up the board."

She turned to the golden demi-god. "And you? Do you know anything about this season?"

Amazo paused for a moment as he telekinetically arranged the pieces on the chequered board. "I know that the reduced temperature results in snowfall, and that the stock market-"

Shayera laughed and waved her hand to stop him from talking. "No, I mean… do you know what it means to humans?"

The android seemed ready to respond, then stopped himself. "No." He mentally pushed a pawn forward. "Your move," he said, nodding at the King of Atlantis.

"Why do you care, anyway?" Aquaman asked absent-mindedly, scratching his beard thoughtfully as he looked at the chess board. Shayera shrugged.

"I don't know. I've just seen such a reaction to it, and I got to wondering what humans find so enthralling about Christmas time."

"It is an opportunity for material gain, for acquisition, for-" Amazo began, holding up a finger as he listed off the reasons.

"No, it's more than that. Humans are happier this time of year. They feel better about themselves and others. They help each other when, any other time of the year, they'd do nothing to help their fellow man."

Aquaman moved one of his pawns forward, and looked over at Shayera. "What you really want to know is what _you _should be doing this time of year."

"No I'm not," Shayera quickly responded, frowning.

Amazo leant forward slightly, his hulking frame overshadowing both of them. "Actually, Aquaman's assessment seems most accurate. It has been my observation that the people who come here only come for guidance or solitude to discover something about themselves. That is why _I _am here, it is why _you _were here before, and it is why Aquaman is here."

"I'm not here for guidance," Aquaman shot back, and Amazo shook his head.

"You are here for guidance on how to defend Atlantis against mystical threats, are you not? Thereby discovering something about yourself."

Aquaman grumbled under his breath and sat back in his chair. "Your move," he muttered.

Shayera looked at the android, trying to hold back her smile. "So you think I'm here to find out about my place in the Christmas season?"

"Or perhaps the nature of Christmas itself, and how it applies to you. I do not honestly know."

Shayera nodded slowly. Silently, she rose from the small stool. "Thank you. And Aquaman?"

He looked up from the game.

"Checkmate."

He frowned and looked down, only to find that Amazo had somehow found a way to checkmate him in two moves.

"Thank you, Shayera," he growled through gritted teeth.

"Tell Dr Fate and Inza I said thank you."

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Shayera lifted her hand to knock on the door, then hesitated. Did she really want to be here? Back at Fate's tower, this had seemed like the right thing to do, but now she wasn't so sure. What if he wasn't there? What if he didn't want to see her? She shook the thoughts from her head, and knocked on the door. Within a few seconds, the door hissed open, and there he stood.

"Birdnose?" Creeper asked, looking confused behind his usual grin.

"Hey, Crazyface. I thought you'd like to get something to eat."

She didn't even want to know what the smell coming from his room was. Whatever it was, it was burning. Well, burning was an exaggeration. It was more like it was smouldering.

Creeper's face lit up with excitement. "Let me grab my coat!" he said, quickly latching onto the red fur coat that was wrapped around his shoulders. "Let's go!" he said, bounding down the hall ahead of her. She sighed. This would probably all end up being good practice for her someday having a kid of her own. She laughed inwardly at the possibility.

_He'd probably end up being a superhero._

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(A/N: After using the Creeper last chapter, I wanted to use him again, since crazy guys are always fun to write. And I also got to thinking about what he would do during the holidays, and started to feel sorry for the lonely crazy guy (though he'd probably just put his patch on and become his reporter persona again, but still). And mixing him with Shayera seemed like a fun idea.

Now, I know I said I'd put Green Lantern in this, but he and Shayera are put together too much as it is. I'll let the show and talented authors deal with them. I'll do the relationships you don't see much of (and aren't likely to see at all).

Hey, and I _still_ managed to get the Flash in there. I think I'll count 'em up for the end of the fic.

Anyways, please be reviewing, kind sirs and sirettes.)


	12. Merry Christmas

Disclaimer: Ownership is something to laugh about over a glass of wine.

_**Merry Christmas**_

Dick Grayson, the man who was once known as the costumed adventurer Nightwing, stood before the entrance to the building, feeling a tingling in his stomach, though he wondered why. It wasn't like he hadn't been here before; it was quite the opposite. Whether it was to check up on Wally, or play chess with Shayera, he had come to the Metro Tower quite often in his lifetime. Perhaps it was because he was seeing _him _for the first time in years. Or maybe it was because he was with his son. He had been here with his wife before, who was now holding on to his arm supportively. He looked over to meet her green eyes, which had lost none of their youthful spark over the years. She squeezed his arm.

"It'll be fine, Dick. It's not like he's going to refuse to talk to you, is it?"

He let out a deep breath through his nose noisily. "I guess so. It's just been so long…"

"Richard Jonathan Grayson, look at me."

He hated it when she did this. Because no matter what she said, he would end up agreeing, simply because _she_ was saying it. It was probably how he ended up marrying her. He turned to look at her somewhat reluctantly, knowing the outcome. She put both hands on his shoulders.

"You will be fine. If he is the hero that has been so praised by you and many others, then it must be in him to talk to you." She paused to smile sweetly, and Dick was sold. "It will be fine," she reiterated, before leaning in and kissing him to seal the deal.

Thomas Grayson rolled his twenty two year old eyes. "Could you two stop? You're making me glad I left home."

Dick looked at his son, and thought about how much Garfield had influenced him as he was growing up. Once he had been born, Dick and Tom's mother had still wished to continue their crime fighting career, and so Tom had been left in Titans Tower on more than one occasion. If he was left with Raven, chances are he would be fine, just a little bored. It was the same with Victor, who wouldn't let him touch equipment of any kind. Garfield and Wally were the only ones whose company Tom truly enjoyed, and with usually disastrous (and destructive) results.

Dick smiled and ruffled his son's jet black hair, and Tom groaned in protest. "You know, you would _think_ that you'd have stopped doing that after I hit eighteen."

"You'd think so," Dick agreed, chuckling to himself. Before Tom could reply to the remark, the doors to the Justice League Unlimited Metro Tower slid open, and the hulking form of Warhawk stood before them. Dick saw the hint of a smile spread across his lips.

"Dick. It's good to see you."

"You too, Rex," he replied, nodding.

He smiled and looked over at Dick's significant other. "Kori. You look better every time I see you."

"As do you," she said slyly.

Rex wasn't sure how to respond to that, so he went on to Tom. "How're you doing, kid?"

"I'd be better if you guys would give me membership already."

Rex laughed, and both Dick and Kory let out embarrassed smiles.

"Maybe once you start thinking before you leap."

"Like you, you mean?"

Rex's smile disappeared, replaced by a slightly irked frown. "You can come in now."

The three smiled and entered. Dick took in the lush surroundings and wondered if this was the same Metro Tower he had worked in for those few weeks. Of course, it had been destroyed and rebuilt many times since he had retired from being Nightwing. He could still remember the day he had decided to quit. Wally had found it hilarious when he had put his back out while fighting the Penguin. It didn't help matters that Wally's increased metabolism retarded his ageing process somewhat, so he looked about the same age as Superman.

_And speaking of smug speedsters…_

The ex-Flash's face lit up as soon as he saw the three enter the foyer.

"Dick! Kori! Tom!"

In a second, the speedster was stood in front of them, hugging each one of them in rapid succession.

"How are you guys?"

Dick smiled with mild amusement at how little his best friend had changed. A few more wrinkles and some grey evenly spread across his flaming red hair had made little impact on Wally.

"Pretty good."

"Then why are you looking so uncomfortable?"

Kori leaned over. "He's worried about meeting you-know-who."

Wally nodded, letting loose his trademark Flash grin. "Ah, I see. He isn't here yet anyway; said something about ink causing trouble in Gotham."

"Ink?"

Wally shrugged. "That's what Ollie told me."

"Speaking of ex-archers, is Roy here?"

Wally beamed and nodded. "He's off talking to Aquagirl."

"I bet Aquaman's not happy about that."

"No he is not," Wally said, laughing.

Dick was about to reply, when Kori interrupted his thoughts. "Where's Tom?"

Dick looked to where his twenty two year old son had been stood, and quickly surveyed the area. "There he is," he said, nodding across the room. Wally turned and grimaced indignantly.

"Hey! That's my daughter he's trying to sweet talk!"

And with that, Wally was on the other side of the room. The couple looked at each other, and then shrugged simultaneously. Laughing, they made their way into the crowd.

"Kori! Dude! Over here!"

The orange skinned Tamaranian and her husband didn't even need to look to see who was calling out to them. Grinning at the sight of their old friends, they made their way over to Garfield, Raven and Victor. Much to no-one's surprise, Garfield was the first one to speak.

"How are you guys?" he said, enthusiastically hugging them and shaking hands.

Dick smiled. "Pretty good, for the most part. Feeling my age, but other than that…"

The green changeling rolled his eyes. "Tell me about it. I get tired just from turning into an elephant."

"Although his reasons for becoming an elephant are few and far between these days," Raven commented dryly, prompting laughter from three of her friends. Garfield scowled.

"Just remember Raven, there's gonna be a big spread at this party, and I have no problem with starting a food fight," he said, grinning evilly.

"You do if you value your life."

As Garfield laughed, Victor pulled Dick aside for a moment. "So, what are you going to do about you-know-who?"

The smaller man frowned. "I'm going to talk to him."

"I didn't know you two were on talking terms."

"We're not. I'm hoping that'll change once I talk to him."

"Where did this attitude come from?"

"I just thought it was time for us to sit down and talk out our problems. You know, like mature adults."

Victor smiled. "Kori made you, huh?"

"Oh yeah," Dick responded instantly, not missing a beat. "Anyway, how're you doing? How's the company?"

"Pretty good. We've got a new business venture in the works with Wayne Enterprises, so the future's looking pretty bright."

Dick smiled and nodded, but was interrupted by a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see the smiling face of Tim Drake.

"Tim! How you doing, man? The family with you?" Victor asked.

"Hi, Vic. They couldn't make it, but I decided to come. I haven't seen the old gang in so long, I figured…" he paused. "Dick, have you seen the old man?"

Dick shook his head. "Not yet. But if I see him, I'll let you know."

Tim nodded and looked over to where the other ex-Titans were gathered. "Anyway, I'll see you later, okay?"

"Sure."

As Tim went to join his former tutors, Dick spotted someone he recognised in the crowd.

"I'll be back in a sec," Dick said, and Victor nodded, going back to where Tim was entertaining the others with a story about his days with Batman.

Dick reached out and put his hand on her shoulder. "Hey Barb."

She let out a slight laugh. "I was wondering if you were coming." She turned to look at him, a fond smile on her face. "How are you, you old geezer?" She asked, hugging him.

"Better than I look, anyway," he said quietly.

"I know how you feel. Is Kori with you?"

Dick nodded. "Yeah. And Tom's here too, hunting down women."

Barbara laughed. "Runs in the family I see."

"I didn't think I was _that_ bad."

"No, you just weren't bad compared to Wally. But you were still quite the heartbreaker."

An awkward silence followed as Dick considered how to respond before finally deciding that there was nothing much he could say to that.

"Dick, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine, Barb. It's not like I'm blameless."

"Dick!"

The ageing ex-hero turned to see Roy Harper waving to him, summoning him over to where he was stood with Wally. Dick wasn't sure of the mischievous grins on their faces, but decided to go anyway.

"I'll see you later, all right?" Dick asked, looking at Barbara.

"Sure you will. I'll have to introduce you to my husband."

He smiled and, after a small wave, made his way over to his two friends. Dick couldn't help but grin as he remembered all the trouble they used to get into in the old days. So much, in fact, that Ravenhad given them the nickname 'Terrible Trio'. It wasn't as though they were constantly in trouble like Cyborg and Beast Boy, who would usually be the source of their own problems. When they were Robin, Speedy and Kid Flash, trouble just seemed to follow them, and then spread to whoever was in the immediate vicinity. Dick was still unsure as to what exactly it was about the three of them that attracted such trouble, but as Roy had once said: _'C'est la vie.'_

Roy extended his hand as Dick approached. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, just getting tired."

Wally laughed. "Man, you _are _old."

Dick grimaced, and Roy laughed too. "Anyway, we're going to have a Poker game with some of the old big wigs of the League after the party, if you're in."

"I don't know… Kori-"

"Can come if she wants to," Wally cut in, his grin indicating to Dick that he was not going to win this argument.

"I'm guessing that Tom is just as welcome?"

The two friends glanced at each other. "Can he play Poker?"

"He's never played before."

"Then he's _especially _welcome," Roy said, smirking evilly.

The man once known as Nightwing couldn't help but laugh and shake his head. "All right, all right, I'm coming. But nothing crooked, all right? Kori can't play well as it is."

"Can't play what well?"

Dick froze at the sound of his wife's voice, and Wally and Roy snickered as though they were still Kid Flash and Speedy. Dick turned to face Kori.

"Uh… I was just saying that… uh…"

Roy raised a mock intellectual finger. "I believe you said that Kori can't play Poker very well."

Dick shot the two snickering old men a glare, which did nothing to stop their rampant giggling.

"Is that right?" Kori said slowly, raising a deep red eyebrow.

Dick sighed. Talking to Bruce would be easier than this.

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Terry McGinnis let out a moan of pain as he rubbed his bruised elbow.

_Of all the ways to land…_

The tuxedo wasn't helping. He pulled at the collar, keeping one hand on the wheel as he tried to free up some room so he could breathe.

"Stop fidgeting."

Terry shot a glancing glare in the old man's direction. "I'm not fidgeting; I'm trying to live."

"You're fidgeting. Bow ties can be tight; deal with it."

Terry huffed slightly. "Fine," he mumbled quietly, looking out the window. After a silence of about five minutes, he spoke again.

"Who's going to be at this party, anyway?"

"Everyone who can make it, from what I've heard."

"Does this mean I'll finally get to meet Dick Grayson? Commissioner Gordon tells me he has quite a few stories about you."

The ageing billionaire Bruce Wayne was silent for a few moments. "I suppose he does."

Terry wasn't so dense to know that he had hit a sore spot, so he decided to leave it well enough alone. He wondered what other heroes would be attending. It'd be cool to meet the Green Lantern and Hawkgirl. Well, the _old _Green Lantern, anyway. The new one was okay, but Terry found himself getting annoyed at how inhumanly calm he was all of the time. Would it kill him to get annoyed at something, or become excited about something, just once? Terry didn't think so. Neither did Warhawk for that matter, but he would never say it out loud. He would never agree with Terry on anything.

Terry pulled into the car park, and the two silently made their way to the foyer.

"I hope they haven't been waiting for us to arrive," Terry said absentmindedly, attempting to make some kind of conversation.

"Mmm," was Bruce's only reply.

The doors of the elevator slid open, and they were greeted by a wave of noise. Terry smiled in awe at the surroundings. He never knew the Metro Tower could look _this _good. He immediately spotted Superman, who waved the two over, a huge Santa Claus sized grin on his face. As Terry considered how alike the two were, the two walked over and Superman gladly introduced the woman he was with.

"Terry, this is Lois Lane."

Terry shook hands with the silver haired woman, and observed Bruce's reaction to her with great curiosity.

"Lois," he said.

"Bruce. Nice to see you haven't outgrown the need to recruit young cadets."

Terry didn't know whether to smirk of be insulted. Since it was Christmas, he settled for a smirk.

Mistake number one.

Bruce raised an eyebrow. "What are _you _smiling at?"

"Nothing. I'm Batman, remember? I don't smile."

Lois laughed. "You'll be a better Batman than he was kid, let me tell you."

Now _that _Terry found funny, even going so far as to snicker out loud.

Mistake number two.

Bruce gave him the bat glare. Terry gave him a bat glare back.

Mistake number three.

_And you're out!_

Bruce seemed to grow to monstrous proportions, his eyes becoming even more incensed. Terry laughed nervously.

"I'll just… go over here," he said, pointing to the other side of the room. Walking away quickly, he bumped into a red haired man.

"Oh… uh, sorry."

The grin that spread across the man's face immediately put Terry at ease. "No problem, kid. Wally West," he said, extending his hand. Terry's eyes widened and he took his hand.

"Wally West? As in 'The Flash' Wally West?"

"Well, I don't like to brag, but… yeah, that's me. The Fastest Old Coot Alive."

"I don't know… the old man can go pretty fast when he wants to."

Wally raised an eyebrow. "Old man? You mean your dad?"

Terry burst out laughing so loud that everyone around them turned to look in surprise. "God, no. What kind of hell would that be?"

Wally smiled, though his features betrayed the confusion he was feeling. Terry quickly recovered from his bout of laughter, wiping away a tear.

"Sorry, I haven't introduced myself. Terry McGinnis," he said, extending a hand. Wally took it uncertainly. Terry leaned further forward. "I'm the new Batman," he whispered, and Wally's eyes widened.

"So the 'old man' is-"

"The original."

Wally's face once again broke out in a grin. "Where is the old guy?" he said, obviously plotting something to irritate him.

"Right over there," Terry said, pointing him out to the speedster.

"Thanks a bunch kid. I'll see you at the dinner, okay? Hey Bats!"

With a gust of wind, he was gone to annoy Bruce Wayne. Terry meandered around the crowds for a few minutes, trying to find someone he recognised. As he walked through the crowd, he heard different snippets of conversation.

"I've can't believe how much she's grown."

"Well, she _is _the Atom's daughter."

"I like nuts. Nuts nuts nuts." Terry frowned as he saw a yellow skinned man feasting on a handful of nuts, a Joker-esque grin on his face. Other voices knocked Terry from his troubled demeanour.

"And then I said, 'that's not a banana; that's a photon disintegrator pistol'!"

A silence.

"Well, I guess you had to be there."

"John, I don't understand why you won't just try the Blurb. It's not like it'll kill you."

"The one time was enough for me, thanks."

"Mom's right, Dad; it's not that bad."

"Well, call me old fashioned Rex, but I prefer to have drinks that don't have worms floating in them."

"Look, Kori, it's not that you're _bad _at Poker; it's just that you don't quite understand the rules yet."

Terry turned to the bickering voices, and was greeted by the sight of a grey haired man pleading with his red haired wife, who had a peculiar orange tint to her skin. The woman turned in a huff, leaving the man scratching the back of his head, thoroughly confused. Terry smiled, being able to sympathise.

"And here I thought it got better with time," Terry joked, and the man heard him. He sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"I wish," he muttered, turning to face him. Something about him seemed familiar, but Terry couldn't place him.

"Do I know you?" Terry asked, extending his hand.

"I don't think so. Dick Grayson," he said, shaking Terry's hand confidently.

"Woah. _You're_ Dick Grayson?"

Dick frowned and nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"It's just… wow, this is weird. You're the only one I haven't talked to."

"Excuse me?"

"Sorry. I'm the new guy." Dick still did not comprehend what he was talking about, and Terry leant closer, lowering his voice. "The new Batman, I mean."

Dick's eyes widened slightly. "Oh… so is…"

"Yeah, the old man's here. He seems pretty nervous about you being here, too."

A hint of a smile flashed across his face. "He does?"

"Oh yeah. Every time I mention you, he gets all silent. That's always a sign he's nervous."

"Well, that makes me feel a _little_ bit better."

Terry was about to ask why when Superman floated above everyone. The noise from the crowd died down, and Superman nodded thankfully.

"Thank you. I've just been told by the chefs that dinner is ready, so if you would please make your way to the dinner hall, we can start."

Dick looked back down at Terry. "I'll see you later, kid. I've got to find my wife and find some way to get her to sit down next to me…" he said, trailing off as he walked away into the crowd.

Terry grinned. He liked him already.

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He had done it. It had taken a lot of grovelling and promises, but he had eventually gained Kori's forgiveness. Of course, Kori wasn't that angry with him to begin with, but she enjoyed putting the fear of an angry Tamaranian Princess into Dick now and again. They had been seated with the other Titans, who, much to Dick's dismay, were next to where Bruce and his protégé had been seated. As they ate, Kori was continually nudging Dick to attempt to make some kind of contact with the old man, but every attempt came short, usually from Garfield and Wally loudly interrupting with some old joke or story.

By the time the dessert had come around, Kori had had enough of her husband's indecisiveness. Clearing her throat, she loudly spoke.

"Dick, wasn't there something you wanted to tell Bruce Wayne?"

The old man looked up slightly at mention of his name, and Terry grinned. Dick shot a glare at his wife.

"Thank you, dearest."

"You'll thank me later."

Dick wasn't convinced, but turned to Terry anyway. "Hey kid, do you mind switching seats?"

Terry shrugged. "Sure."

The two made their way around the table, and Dick took his seat next to his old mentor. "So… enjoying the food?"

Bruce remained silent. "It's… colourful."

The silence that followed almost stopped everyone around them from talking. Dick took a deep breath. "Listen, Bruce… I…"

Bruce sighed and nodded. "I know, Dick. It's all right. You don't need to-"

"No, you don't know, Bruce. And I can't get the words out to make you understand, so I… I'd like you to meet my son."

Bruce was looking increasingly uncomfortable. "You don't need to do that."

Dick put a hand on his shoulder. "I want to."

Dick got up and walked over to where his son was seated with Aquagirl and the other younger members of the Justice League Unlimited. "Tom, would you mind coming with me? There's someone I want you to meet."

He reluctantly left the table and followed his father, looking increasingly impatient as they walked over. Dick stopped and took a deep breath.

"Bruce, I'd like you to meet my son, Thomas And'r Grayson. Tom, this is Bruce Wayne."

Tom's eyes widened. "You mean… _this _is…"

Dick nodded before his son could go any further. "And not a lot of people know about it, so…"

Tom nodded. "Okay, okay. But wow… this is so cool. I mean, you're one of the schwayest heroes ever!"

Bruce raised an eyebrow at his unbridled enthusiasm, and Dick patted his son on the shoulder. "All right, all right, you can talk later. I just wanted you to meet him."

This time, Tom was reluctant to go _back_ to his table, though one look at the female occupants changed his mind. With a quick wave to his father and a lingering look at Bruce, he made his way back. Dick watched him go, and then turned back to Bruce.

"So…?"

Bruce was silent for a moment before he said anything.

"You named him Thomas."

Dick shrugged. "Well, you were always like a f…" Dick trailed off, unable to say the words. "…so your father was like a grandfather. So, I… it just seemed…"

A heavy hand was placed on his shoulder. His voice was so quiet that Dick barely even heard him. "It was." Dick looked into his former mentor's eyes in the silence that followed, and couldn't help the emotion that welled up inside him.

"Thank you."

Dick smiled fondly, and was at a loss of what to say. Fortunately, he didn't have to worry about it for long, since there was a resounding splat noise from behind Bruce. They turned to see Raven with some pudding on her face, and Garfield giggling in his chair. Somehow, Terry had ended up sat next to both Garfield and Wally, and was now holding a recently fired spoon catapult in his hands.

"Dude! Schway shot!" Gar exclaimed, patting him on the back. But Terry wasn't convinced, judging by the horrified look on his face. Neither was Wally, for that matter, since he was slowly inching his chair back. Raven's scowl was evident beneath the pudding, and Dick couldn't help but feel sorry for Terry. Only a few minutes with Garfield, and he was already one of Raven's enemies. Bruce groaned and rubbed his eyes.

"Teenagers…"

Dick smiled. Some things truly never changed.

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"Well?"

"Well, what?"

"Was I right?"

He was silent.

"Well?"

He sighed and nodded. "All right, all right. You were right, I was wrong. Thank you."

Kori nodded graciously. "That's all I wanted to hear."

They swayed in silence to the music.

"So… am I forgiven?"

Kori was silent for a moment. "I think so, yes."

Terry smiled as he walked by the dancing couple, and only wished that Dana could be here with him. He would definitely tell her soon. He'd kept her in the dark about Batman for too long. Terry smiled to himself.

_Heh. Batman. Kept in the dark. I made a funny._

He ran a hand through his hair, and found some pudding there. He groaned, wondering just how much pudding that Raven had thrown on him and Garfield. He silently cursed Wally's speed, since it had saved him from the repercussions of Raven's wrath. Terry had no idea how Garfield could have been so blasé about Raven's anger. It just didn't seem to bother him. He looked around the room, trying to spot the ageing green changeling. Much to his surprise, he was engaged in a slow dance with said dark empath. A very peaceful and romantic looking slow dance, in fact.

Terry frowned as he looked at all the other couples enjoying their dances.

_Ah, screw it._

Terry walked out of the large hall and marched to a quiet area of the building. Pulling out his cell phone, he pushed the speed dial for Dana. After a few rings, Dana picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me."

"Terry? I thought you were at a Mr Wayne party."

"I am. I just wanted to call and see how you were."

Dana seemed mildly surprised. "Uh… yeah, I'm fine."

"And… I wanted to know if you wanted to have dinner some time before Christmas. Just you and me. I've got something to tell you."

"Okay. I hope it's something good."

Terry smiled wryly. "I guess that depends on your point of view."

"Uh… okay."

"See you later. And Dana?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

There was the longest silence on the other side before Dana responded. "I love you too."

Terry smiled. He loved the holidays.

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Clark stood before the crowd, and wondered briefly what to say. But only briefly. Maybe it was the way Lois was smiling at him supportively. Maybe it was the way that Wally was grinning inanely at something Linda had said to him, even though it wasn't meant as a joke. Maybe it was the way that John and Shayera playfully bickered with one another.

Maybe it was how the Titans were like a family within a family.

Maybe it was how Tim was sulking after Bruce had glued a Santa Claus hat to his head earlier on in the party. Or maybe it was the way that Bruce was smiling as he talked to Dick's son. A kind of smile that Clark had never seen before. A smile of pure joy. The smile itself was very small, but Clark knew Bruce well enough to be able to read his eyes. It was why Batman wore a mask with one way lenses; his eyes gave away so much of his emotion, even after all these years. _Especially _after all these years.

Clark smiled.

"I hope you've all had a good time. It's wonderful to see so many familiar faces with us. And while there are some who couldn't make it…"

Clark's mind instantly flashed on to those close to him who were absent.

Diana.

J'onn.

But rather than become downcast at their being missing, he grafted his warm feelings for them into his speech.

"… I couldn't have asked for a better turnout. I've seen so many people today that I never thought I'd see again. And some whom I see every day. I'm just glad that you could all be here, putting aside differences of age for the seasonal spirit. I know it's hard for you younger members to put up with the more… 'experienced' members of the League-"

"Don't you mean 'old'?" Ray Palmer cut in, and a chuckle went through the crowd. Clark smiled.

"Just protecting my ego, Ray." Another chuckle shook through the crowd, and Ray grinned. "In any case," Clark continued, laughing slightly, "it was wonderful to see you all again. But just remember that it doesn't have to be a big Christmas occasion for you to see each other. This is just one time of the year, and it would be a shame to limit yourself to seeing each other that little. So, whether it's old friends you haven't seen for a long time…"

He looked over at Wally, who was stood with Dick and Roy, all three of them looking ready to start some kind of mischief.

"… or if it's people you've only just come to know…"

Bruce looked at Tom with pride in his eyes, who was enthralled by Clark's speech. Seeing this, Clark's smile widened.

"…don't let it go to waste."

He looked over the crowd and smiled fondly.

"And finally… Merry Christmas."

And that was a sentiment that everyone could get behind. Even Bruce.

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THE END

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(A/N: There. A big cheesy final Christmas chapter for y'all.

Thank you all for reading and reviewing. You guys and gals have made this story my most popular fic by far, and that's not an exaggeration in the least, trust me. I have been genuinely surprised by how damn popular this story was, and I hope you read and review my future stories as much.

So, that being said, don't forget to review this chapter as well.

Merry Christmas, all.)


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